1Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
“They are just being childish,” is often the voiced answer to many of the dysfunctions people have chosen to hitch their maladjusted
Edward Cummings said, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” I would add to this quote by saying, it takes courage to grow up and become the person God thought of when He created you. There is a difference when someone has a vision, a goal, or a dream to excel towards by working and doing what it takes to achieve the heights of one’s honest desires. This is different than folding your soul away in a fantasy of unrealistic existence. Vision takes faith and courage. Eccl. 11:6 In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good. We need vision and goals, especially if God has sown them in our hearts. The reason God sows them within us is that with God’s character developing within us, our maturity will grow into mountain-moving faith. Mark 11:23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
God gave Joseph the dream of the sheaves bowing down toward him, and that he would be a leader of great importance. Gen. 37:7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. Joseph was only seventeen years old and still a bit childish to have the capability to run with a God inspired nation saving vision. It took years of character development and major hardships before Joseph could realistically walk in the fullness of what God had sown in his heart. When Joseph realized that accepting reality was the only way to mature in what God had created him to do, he no longer fantasized that God’s calling was as easy as he had thought when he was young and immature.
Joseph could have become discouraged by all the injustice that had fallen upon his life. But God’s favour would not let go of Joseph’s heart, and he grew up into a man who could rule, manage, and delegate with God’s wisdom. Gen. 41:38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” For the many who want to escape the times we are living in, they do not realize that life and everything in it will cost them something of value. King David expressed it very well when he wanted to sacrifice an offering to the Lord. David said, “Nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” 2Sam. 24:24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
When Jesus was nailed to the cross for our sins, it cost Him everything. Jesus did not fantasize about the human race being washed of their sins. He chose the reality of the sacrifice that cost Him everything and paid the penalty for us in full. Salvation is free; however, it costs us everything. With the full capitulation of our lives and will, plus the complete surrender of our beings to the Lord, we freely accept the redemption that was acquired for each one of us. However, we must remember the price paid for our freedom from the power of sin. 1Cor. 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. This is not a childish relationship that we have been brought into, nor is it a fantasy that we can pop in and out of at the whim of facing something difficult.
There are a lot of people giving up on life, and fantasy might help relieve some of the anxiety once in a while, but it is not the answer to the reality of life. I cannot wish my problems away, but I can pray to a loving God who can strengthen me to navigate the valleys of hardship and difficult decisions. My late friend and mentor, Dawn Hannah, would say to me, “Sonny boy, when you are speaking to that mountain of contention in your life, and command it to be cast into the sea, and it doesn’t appear to be moving, then you climb it, and keep speaking to it until it is gone or you have reached the top. Don’t stop believing in your God, no matter what.” There is no room for fantasy in that advice Dawn gave me. We live in a real world with real-life problems, and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer the issues that would hinder our lives. With God, we can do the hard things and live.
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