HOPE AND MAGIC

We all need hope – the aroma of something tasty that gets us out of bed in the morning. If that aroma doesn’t come in the form of the Savior, we need to scramble to find another savior, as this atheist confidently claimed he had found:

·       One of the hardest things to do in life is realize, then embrace, then actually shift to the belief that there is no external "god" who will help you, save you, love you, or give you purpose. But when that happens...you begin to look in the only place left...inside of yourself. That is when the magic begins.

What magic? This is a “magic” that is only possible when we take off our internal spectacles in order to deny all of the garbage we bump against within. To see ourselves clearly is to kill hope if that hope is based on self. What do we find instead? A toxic dump of moral failings without any real hope of reclamation; a stench of guilt and shame that can only be covered by the most resistant strains of self-deception.

What is its fruit? The “magic” comes at the price of truth and transparency. A gradual losing contact with reality as we deny the toxic dump; an alienation from others who begin to see what we are unwilling to see. Absorbed with our “magic” and defending it at all costs, we become self-righteous and arrogant.

What is the answer? The very opposite of finding magic! It is a matter of admitting our un-reclaimable toxicity. King David had committed adultery and killed his lover’s husband. However, he was unable to find relief by discovering any internal “magic.” He could only find what he was looking for by confessing his sins:

·       Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Psalm 32:1-5; ESV)

This is the magic that we cannot discover in ourselves. It is the magic that can only come from our Savior.