Early this summer I rode in a hot-air balloon, more than 1600 feet above a lush, green river valley in the state of Washington. It was a thrilling experience, not only for the unequalled view, but also as a statement of sorts about the hopes of “a brave new woman.” I told my surprised friends that I had wanted to do this for a long time, but usually I qualified that statement with something nearer the truth: “I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do it, but I really did want to have done it.”
Actually, we see this attitude demonstrated fairly often. I am reminded of a friend who made conspicuous mention of loving classical music. This individual did not play classical music, did not listen to classical music, and most of the time did not even particularly appreciate classical music. But intellectual, cultured people “ought” to love classical music, so my friend loved the idea of loving classical music! It’s just very easy for us to make a lot of noise about what we plan to do, how knowledgeable we are, or what our success will look like. We love the idea of what might be, and sometimes we are satisfied with the mere idea of it. Only in our imagination do we relish the satisfaction of having done it—and we never get around to actually doing it.
I wonder if this ever carries over into our walk of faith. Do we really want to love and follow Jesus as our Lord? Or are we only looking ahead to the time when we’ll stand before God the Judge and we want to have done it?
MaryMartha
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Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com
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