What If?

shire-scribe (25)in #christianity • 6 years ago (edited)

We live in a world of dazzling distractions and cruelly deceptive lies. We live in Pleasure Island, where the ultimate goal is to turn us into something less than human, something counterfeit and contrary to our created nature. We are so much like Pinocchio, debasing ourselves in the pursuit of boundless freedom, all the while becoming ever more enslaved to our desires. We are bombarded by glossy magazine covers, emblazoned with air-brushed images of what “the good life” is supposed to look like; commercials; billboards; “reality” television programs, and the constant static of social media with its relentless buzz of frenetic, neverending updates on what everyone is doing and thinking and saying all the time.

We are lost, all of us, in the most profound sense of the word. We are trapped in a maze of our own making and we have no idea how to escape. Somedays we wonder if we even want to. Perhaps it is better this way, we think. It surely seems much safer to just go along with the status quo. Everyone is doing it, so it can’t be that bad. If it feels good, it must be right. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t step out of line. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. If that is how you think, and if you feel totally at home in this world, then nothing I write will move you to escape the maze. But if, like me, you are sick of Pleasure Island and you are fed up with the lies, then maybe now is the time to break free. There is an invitation given. There is a choice that must be made, and it is ours to make.

So, let’s be real together.

Seriously.

Let’s start now.

And let us begin with a simple question: What If?

What if we are defined not by our bank accounts, our social media approval rating, our looks, talents, skills and intelligence, but by something far more meaningful?

What if we look for beauty in unexpected places, in revolutionary ways, where the values of this world are unmasked as counterfeit and counterproductive to the flourishing of all life?

What if a few brave souls, a handful of pioneers and pilgrims on a journey of wondrous freedom, can make a real and lasting difference in this world? Would we be brave enough to join them? Would we risk being ridiculed, pitied, shamed, laughed at, mocked and dismissed?

What if things can change---for even one person? And that one person inspires one more person to challenge the status quo, to speak up against sexism, body shaming, bullying, homophobia, racism, the arrogance of unchecked power and the lust of infinite greed?

What if one person is enough to make a difference today: maybe with a smile, a kind comment, money if it is needed, food and water if it will save a life, a coat, a blanket, a room for the night, a visit to a lonely friend or a phone call to an estranged family member, words and actions that build up, rather than tear down. That is true revolution. That is true freedom. That is true life.