Disappointing Sideshows
May 06,2013
http://getmorestrength.org
"For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the
lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from
the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:16
When I was a boy, one of the biggest annual events in town
was the circus. My dad would take us early in the morning to watch the
circus trains unload the tigers, lions, elephants, monkeys, and all the
other animals and paraphernalia that made the circus so intriguing.
Once the circus was set up, great attractions were lined along the
midway. The midway was the walkway leading to the big tent. Vendors
hawked their wares, happy music played, the smell of hot dogs and cotton
candy mingled in the air, and multicolored balloons bounced in the
wind. With bursts of laughter and excited screams, customers twisted and
turned on amusement rides. The midway was almost more than a boy could
take.
The most intriguing sights of all for me were the sideshows. Large
posters advertised all kinds of physical deformity and daring feats of
bravery—a man with three eyes, a bearded woman, sword-swallowers, and
fire-eaters. I would pull on my dad’s hand and beg him to take me to see
them, only to hear him say, “Joe, it’s a waste of money. It’s not all
it’s cracked up to be.”
This is the warning we see in 1 John 2:16.
The world is a lot like the midway. Much of it is exciting. But as our
Father walks us through experiences, He warns us of what will disappoint
us, waste our resources, and distort and destroy us. It’s the sideshows
that seduce us and endanger our experience here. Our world constantly
puts us in tension with all that it offers.
This tension forces us to make up our minds about whom or what we
will believe and follow. Will it be our Father or the sideshow?
When I grew up and went to the circus on my own, I couldn’t wait to
put up my own money to see the sideshows—only to find out that my father
had been right. My money was wasted.
It’s like that in life, but the stakes are far greater.
YOUR JOURNEY…
- What sideshows threaten to seduce and distract me?
- What will I do to turn from them?
- How can I learn to follow Jesus more faithfully?
- Where is my heart for God? for the world? How can I show my love for God today?
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