The Lie
"One of the best-known names in filmmaking for children is that of the late Walt Disney. By bringing to life such great children’s stories as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Pinocchio, Disney promoted the idea that all of your hopes and dreams would come true if you simply wished hard enough, worked hard enough, or received a little help from an outside source – like a fairy godmother.
It was not altogether a bad message, providing we understand that Disney dealt with fairy tales. But it implied that some kind of benevolent force or power exists out there to make our wishes come true. This is an extermely childlike approach to the reality of life; but unconsciously, it has become modern America’s standard understanding of God; that He exists only to make our dreams come true.
That, of course, is a lie. God does not exist to make our dreams come true. Nor does He exist so that we may be fulfilled or happy.
But, you may ask, “Doesn’t God love me so much that Jesus His Son died for me?” Yes, absolutely. God’s love is not the issue. It is our self-image that is the problem: we think we deserve God’s love, believing we are special.
The apostle Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). The point of this verse is not merely God’s love, but our sin. God loves us despite our sin and the fact that we are sinners. To skip over this aspect of the gospel is to embrace a lie about ourselves that contends we are basically good, merely a little off track; but with God’s help, we can make our dreams come true. This idea is truly a fairy tale."
It was not altogether a bad message, providing we understand that Disney dealt with fairy tales. But it implied that some kind of benevolent force or power exists out there to make our wishes come true. This is an extermely childlike approach to the reality of life; but unconsciously, it has become modern America’s standard understanding of God; that He exists only to make our dreams come true.
That, of course, is a lie. God does not exist to make our dreams come true. Nor does He exist so that we may be fulfilled or happy.
But, you may ask, “Doesn’t God love me so much that Jesus His Son died for me?” Yes, absolutely. God’s love is not the issue. It is our self-image that is the problem: we think we deserve God’s love, believing we are special.
The apostle Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). The point of this verse is not merely God’s love, but our sin. God loves us despite our sin and the fact that we are sinners. To skip over this aspect of the gospel is to embrace a lie about ourselves that contends we are basically good, merely a little off track; but with God’s help, we can make our dreams come true. This idea is truly a fairy tale."
~ Herb Hirt
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