Notwithstanding all the challenges life tends to throw at you, I have found that the moment you begin to walk a path that dedicates you to God, all manner of evil explodes from the woodwork, not unlike a swarm of cockroaches, with the sole intent of overwhelming you. This dedicated design of destruction is focused on undermining your efforts and preventing you from staying true to the path you have set for yourself. That said, in an attempt to get a jump on Satan and his staff of spiritual telemarketers, I am writing this installment of the Zion blog immediately following the last.
For the last two years, the topic of Zion has pressed upon my mind most heavily. Every time I go to church, each lesson taught has been received with the thought: “How does this apply to building Zion?” I find myself hungry to see the community of God built.
At the same time, I must confess to my shame, a fear of seeing it built. Considering my last post, this mindset might seem hypocritical or paradoxical. Yet, I will freely admit to feelings of immense discomfort as I think about all of the changes I need to make in my life, in order to see my cornerstone of Zion built in my heart. There are so many little things that I enjoy, trivialities really, which prevent me from any meaningful progress towards my dream.
Point in fact. I love reading and I love art. I love quality illustration and the beautiful draftsmanship in line art. I find myself pulled to the marriage of these two media, which takes form in comic books, manga (Japanese comic books), and graphic novels. It is childish I know, but I love reading about underdog characters empowering themselves and overcoming their enemies and challenges. There is something liberating about a character that never quits, or is faced with a seemingly impossible task. Perhaps the draw is in the fact that I see myself all too clearly in their plights. I feel quite overwhelmed with the adversity that is constantly making itself known in my life, and preventing me from attaining my ultimate desire. That resonance makes it terribly difficult to put these stories away and focus on what God needs.
When I think of walking away from them, and giving them up for good, my gut clenches and my mind starts looking for excuses on how to keep them in my life. I made the attempt once, to quit “cold turkey” as it were. It involved a commitment to not buy another comic book or video game. My intent was to “grow up” and “…put away childish things…” (1 Cor. 13:11). But, walking away from something that has literally shaped and defined your life is not easy. Finding a story or an artist that maintains a “divine standard” is pretty much futile in today’s world. Becoming that type of creator is even more daunting.
To hear me speak, you’d think I was an addict. In a very real way, I am. And so are you. We are addicted to our trivialities – things that really have no place in God’s kingdom, and yet we have made them such an integral and needful part of our lives. If you doubt me, or question the truth of my words, I challenge you to have a media free week; seven days without television, radio, video games, cell phones, email, or internet. How long can you last? What will you do with your time? How will you survive without being connected, logged on, or plugged in? Can you do it? Will you?
I cannot see Zion being flooded with these distractions. Will we have technology in Zion? Undoubtedly. However, I seriously doubt that we will use these advancements as we do now. Zion is a place where we are drawn together, and where these technologies serve to aid in the service of others. Media will be uplifting and wholesome. It will inspire us to live better lives, rather than showing us the “reality” just outside our door.
There are so many trivialities that distract us from Zion. We all have our small addictions that seem harmless on the surface, but subtly drag us invariably away from the straight and narrow. There are a great many things in our lives that don’t seem trivial at all, and they too distract us from the dream of Zion. Personal relationships, bills, the daily toil of making ends meet, illness…the list is quite endless. We are naturally drawn to, and distracted by, life’s symphonies. Satan knows this and adds in his own spin and melodies. Thus we find ourselves sucked into the unfolding dramas, both real and fictional, of life; and we are delicately drawn away – step by step, from the path that God has set for us.
It seems entirely too obvious. In the words of my sons, this is what is called a “D’uh!” moment. The problem is, while obvious, we do very little to solve the problem. How do we do it? How do we give up all our little comforts? How do we give away all of our worries? How do we build a dream when our first inclination is to stay huddled in our comfort zone? My solution may not be the same as yours, but it works for me so I thought I’d share it.
Simply put, I try to imagine what Zion will be like. What will it look like? What would my day look like? What job will I have, how will I support my family? How will my neighbors act towards me? What will school be like for my children? How? What? Why? Take some time this week, if you choose to take the Media Deprivation Challenge – take some time and put yourself in Zion. And when you’ve imagined it, try to make the dream a reality in small moments and small steps. Read a classic, sing a song, serve a friend or a stranger when the opportunity arises - or even make an opportunity arise! In the end, you will see that your addiction to the trivialities of life will fade, all on its own. All those mountainous problems that are doing their best to crush you, will become lighter and more manageable. Life will become something pleasant and enjoyable in spite of all the distractions.
I leave you with my love and prayers. I hope you have a good week, and that the Lord’s blessing with follow you always.
Until next week!
Jeffrey
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