But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant … (Hebrews 12:22-24)
In rural Pakistan, I smiled at young girls playing with primped Barbie Dolls. The Middle Eastern layout of their dollhouse caught my attention. Cardboard boxes were separated inside a miniature walled compound. The Barbie mother was all beauty as she entertained royalty on a mat in the courtyard.
It dawned on my ethnocentric brain that, of course, the home would be fashioned like an extended family compound—what else had the darling builders ever known? Barbie didn’t notice anything was amiss as she carried out her perfect life, as she does in every child’s world.
Humans are born with a universal capacity for fantasies of love, victory, and heroism. Boys envision battles while girls dream of romance. Even our music and art reflect our imaginings of grandeur. We yearn for something more than this monochrome existence.
Because of Christ, we no longer need to deceive our hearts with science fiction or airport romance books. Our yearning for a bigger life is actualized. Instead of milking drama from the television, I am named as a character inside the most riveting storyline ever to exist. The Christian faith allows me to intertwine with ultimate beauty and bring down monsters through prayer.
It turns out that old, insignificant me isn’t so boring after all. Jesus pulls me into an epic drama where good defeats evil in unearthly dimensions.
Prayer: Valiant Jesus, with you the fantasy is real.