"Virtual" Reality?

I was in the Mall the other day engrossed in my alter-ego, "super-husband". I was searching for the perfect gift: one that says, "I am so amazingly thoughtful and loving that I would never stoop to buying crass expensive bobbles instead of something personal and unique." (Loosely translated, "I am broke as a joke, but I would really love some of those brownies with the little nuts on top.")

As I perused some the less expensive stores, (WHY do they never put a Dollar Tree in Malls anymore???) I saw a display in the thoroughfare that said, "Virtual Reality". Kids lined up by the dozen to put on ridiculous looking gloves and hats to fight a bout of "virtual boxing".

Although they were probably having the time of their lives engrossed in their little world, they were completely ludicrous from the perspective of the onlooker. They appeared more than mildly schitzophrenic as they punched at imaginary foes, and even looked at the ground and laughed at their defeated virtual enemy.

As I watched them, my mind went to a verse that I had read that morning. I Corinthians 9:26 says,

"I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air"

Paul here made point that, in his struggle for the cause of Christ, he did not throw punches in the air wildly, but kept himself conditioned so that when he struck at the enemy, he hit his mark.

I think that many Christians and churches fall into the "virtual reality" category. Christ is an idea, or a game, or a philosophy. It is something to be played with, but at the end of the day, the gloves come off and they go back to "real life". There is no real love for the person of Christ, but only for the make-believe religion that they practice whenever it is fun. They don't really believe in the adversary, and they don't really believe in the cause they claim.

When you think about it, Christ is the ultimate reality! This mortal life is called a vapor compared to the eternity that waits for us.

Here are some questions I asked myself when I thought about this:

1- Do I love the concept of Christ, or the person of Christ?

2- Do I think of the battlefield as a constant reality, or a game that I can jump in and out of?

3- Am I satisfied with "beating the air", or do I really want to land some blows for my Lord?

4- Do I really get angry at the enemy for opposing all that God wants to do, or do I give him a little sissy slap and say, "Oh be nice!"

We are supposed to be seeing through a glass darkly, but I think that if we ever cared enough to really try to look though that glass it would radically change our lives, our families, and our churches!