Skewed Truth
I love to nerd out and imagine that fairies and super heroes exist. Yes I realize that those two things don’t naturally go hand in hand…and yet, I find myself whimsical for both.
I’ve been spending a lot of time focusing on fake realities. Ok, I’ll just flat out admit it, I love to get lost in the Arrowverse. Arrow, the Flash, Legends of Tomorrow…it sucks you in, man! I also love a good historical fiction novel. Ones about history, but maybe not the fullness of historical reality. But, as I close this chapter of speeding through the last season(s) on Netflix, I find a few things to be true about my life:
I’m ashamed at how much tv I watch. I hate that. I hate to admit that I binge watch shows. Because I just throw them on while I do other things, and then three episodes a day later..woof. It’s so much. I’m judging myself.
I’m realizing that the more I watch of these realities in such concentrated amounts of time, the more I forget the bigger truth. I know these worlds aren’t real. I do. I promise you that I really do know that Flash can’t come save the day, and that aliens aren’t invading. But, I do find myself straying away from centering myself on the real Truth. Because it’s so easy and tempting to get caught up in these characters’ lives. When’s the last time I binge read Scripture? Or even read what theologians say about reality and the Bible? I picked up my Bible for the first time in three or four days today, and the fact that I can’t remember exactly is so sad. TV shows aren’t necessarily bad. It’s not bad to watch some television, or even read some fiction. I have been challenged in my faith by some of it (thanks Percy Jackson). But it is bad to have my brain so rooted in this other, made up, universe where I forget to see the bigger picture going on. I forget that Jesus wants to fill my heart, brain and life with HIs truth. Not something false that some human has made up.
The reason I love super hero stories so much is because they’re a glimpse of a bigger universe, a glimpse of good triumphing over evil, and give us a longing for God. Now, I don’t think the creators necessarily intended to do that. But deep down, at its core, super hero stories are so great because they remind us that human beings can’t win over evil on their own. In these stories, you need a super human to fight the evils and win - be it Super Man, some guy who got bit by a spider, or just a crazy strong guy in a hood. The reality? We need Jesus. Jesus has already overcome all the evils of this world. Jesus has already won.
So while I’ll probably continue to nerd out when the next avengers mashup comes out or when Aquaman swims across the screen, what will be more necessary for my life is to flood my heart with the truth of the Gospel. Because I long for Scripture. I long for the Gospel. I long to lead others to the truth, and that can’t be that the time space continuum is a real thing. It’s not. (At least to our knowledge yet. Lol.)
What false realities do you fill your mind and heart with? How do you combat it?