Some people think that Christianity offers “pie in the sky” – promises that sound good and never deliver. But for real pie in the sky look at advertising! It has become so much a part of life we hardly notice how it constantly churns out pies somewhat less substantial than cotton candy.
Savvy marketers will tell you that consumer advertising shapes our lives in ways we hardly comprehend, urging us to accept images of ideals created not by our own experience but by the commercial motivations of third parties. The power of advertising doesn’t lie in the real fulfillment of its promises but in the relevance of its fantasies to those of the buyer. The essential application is not to reality but to daydreams, with a promise located always in an imaginary future that will satisfy our appetites or replace the dullness or disappointment of the moment. The effect is mesmerizing to people who can’t bear to live in the disappointing present.
The promises of God are in stark contrast to this sad picture because of who He is and how He relates to us. Thousands of years ago when Moses asked God for His name, the simple yet profound answer was, “I Am.” He is the God who lives always in the present. And it is our present that He wants to address, dealing not with daydreams but with reality, providing real healing and not fantasy bandages for our pain.
Some protest that they never experience pain because they have, and always will have, everything they need and desire in this life. Their daydreams are their reality and life is a perpetual unclouded day. That’s what they say they believe—and woe to anyone who dares question their devotion to their fantasy.
The fact is, the only true power we have is the power of choice. We can choose reality or fantasy – holding on tight to our dreams, or submission to the ever-present, tangible reality of God, who desires above all else to hold on tight to us after we take hold of Him.
One way leads to destruction, and the other to eternal life. Choose wisely!