Fantasy Island

Fantasy Island

Some of you may remember the show from the late 70's and early 80's by this name with Mr. Roake and his sidekick midget tattoo (de plane, de plane). This was about an island somewhere in the pacific where people would pay to come and stay and live out their fantasies, whatever it may have been.

Obviously, in reality a place like this couldn't or doesn't exist, but that doesn't stop many people from living in a fantasy world:

-People 40 thinking they have the athletic ability they did when they were 20
-fat people saving their skinny clothes like they will get their size 16 back into a 4 or their size 48 waste back in a 34
-a lonely woman returning to an abusive husband, thinking he will stop hitting her or the kids
-a optimistic man thinking this is the last time his chronic lying girlfriend will stop cheating on him
-a person being abused thinking they can pretend it never happened or it will stop or go away
-tone deaf person who thinks they can sing trying out for American idol or the praise team at church

Our fanasty world's can be big or small. They can be major or minor issues. They can be issues of denial, taste, preference, desperation, or ignorance.

People can really get out of touch with reality. Whether its something small like thinking that outfit they were 20 years ago still fits and is still in style or it can be serious like thinking you can fix a person in a relationship who won't fix themselves.

One this is certain, we must not be people of fantasy, but people of reality. It's ok to have dreams, it's not ok to have unhealthy fantasies. It's ok to admit our faults or work on our mistakes, it's not ok to live life in denial of abuse, betrayal, or neglect.

We can't pretend everything is ok, when it's not. We can't pretend something doesn't exist until it goes away, because it won't. We can heal, but healing doesn't mean accepting. We can forgive, but forgiveness doesn't always mean reconcilliation. We can learn from our mistakes, but learning doesn't mean lying to ourselves. We can be honest, but honesty doesn't mean hiding the truth or justifying for ourselves or others.

As individuals, as christians, and as churches, we must be careful we are not living in a fantasy world. We must strive to be honest with God and ourselves. We must stand up for what is right without compromising the truth. Christianity doesn't mean we are a door mat to be walked on or so naive we get abused, taken advantage of, or walked on.

As a church, we must address problems, not sweep them under the rug thinking they will go away. Leadership requires tough decisions at times. We must protect the church not wound it.
In relationships, we must face problems not run from them. In faith, we must accept God's will not try to go around Him. We need to stop living in a fantasy world and start living in the reality of God. If God is our reality, there is no fantasy.

"the reality, however is found in Christ."
Colossians 2:17b(NIV)