supernatural

have you noticed the increasing number of shows dealing with the supernatural i.e. heros, the cleaner, saving grace, mindfreak, paranormal state? . . . smallville (okay that one was funny, hehe). seriously, we are living in a time when there is a renewed interest in the unexplainable. people are hungry for something greater than themselves. but here's the downside . . . when we go looking for something more sometimes we will encounter hoax(es). . . maybe more often then the real thing. so how do we know the difference? how do we know what is true? in fact maybe an even better question is: how do we know what is real? 

i remember talking to friends after we saw "davinci code" and one of my buddies saying to me "wow, i didn't know Jesus was married to mary magdelene." i laughed because i thought he was joking, but he wasn't. b/c the davinci book and/or movie had presented the story as evidential and factual, my friend had begun to confuse fiction with reality. and because we all love to be entertained, it's easy to lose ourselves in the blurry line between art and life, fiction and fact, imagination and reality. 

so how do we build our lives around what's true and what's real . . . especially when what's true and real is supernatural and easily confused for a hoax? 

okay i may be losing you so let me give you an example of what i'm talking about. look at the age old story of Jesus walking on water. as a Christ-follower, i would tell you that this is a historical fact, a supernatural event that took place in history. but others might say it is merely a story/hoax/myth.  so how do i know Jesus really walked on water? and furthermore how do i know that when chriss angel seems to have done it on live television, it is an illusion, a hoax?  

how do i know which one is true and which one is false? back to the original question: how do i decipher between supernatural events (Jesus walking on water) and an illusion/hoax (chriss angel walking on water)? and in the process of asking these questions, how do i keep from throwing my hands up and getting cynical about the whole thing?

here's a starting place: follow the questions, and let them lead you to the answers. have you ever noticed how many questions kids ask? they go on forever, and once they get one question answered they ask a new one. becoming a kid again is crucial to learning what is true. the questions bring wonder back into our lives, and help us navigate the unexplainable. something big is happening all around us, so it's key to ask good questions. 

my prayer for you this week is that you will open yourself to wonder and instead of letting the questions make you cynical . . . instead let them become a joy propelling you into the mystery of the story we find ourselves in.