Things are not always the reality of their billing. The line at the supermarket said, “Express Line – 14 items or less.” What was not true was the word “Express.” The four people in line in front of me each had only two or three items. The problem was the snail that was checking us out. Not only was she the slowest moving human I have ever seen she was very nice. She was so nice she was calling everyone “dear” and “deary.” I was “deary.” She seemed to genuinely care about us and wanted to know if we were well, did we find everything we were looking for, how was the weather outside and to top it off she was showing us pictures of her grandchildren. I loved it that everyone was patient and kind to her. But it wasn’t express.
There are so many things that are not what they are stated to be. It started in Eden. “Eat this fruit and you will be like God. You will not die.” It continues throughout history. “We will be the master race.” “Die a martyr and go straight to paradise with x-number of virgins.” “We are God’s special children.” “God hates sinners.” It goes on and on.
The need for us to spend time with God’s Word finding His love and care, finding His mercy and forgiveness, finding our purpose in life and finding that we can trust Him implicitly, is vital for our mental health and assurance that once we are part of God’s family the only way out is for us to leave. There are some things that are actually better than stated and the big one is being a child of the Creator of the Universe.
Written by Roger Bothwell on February 2, 2017
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