Sometimes, Reality is Reality

I love reality shows. Lately, Monday night has been the night to watch. At nine o'clock on NBC you have "Treasure Hunters." I am hooked on this show. It's a great adventure that includes both brain and braun and deals with early American History. How can you not love that! The contestants sometimes are a little ho hum, but overall, it is a great show.

Next comes "Road Rules, Real World Challenge." I've watched this ever since the original battle of the sexes when Johnny Mosley was the host. Also a fantastic show. I think MTV just knows how to edit well.

It was on this show that last night that something one of them said struck me.

It was a conversation between Derek and Diem. Okay, maybe not so much a conversatioin seeing that both of them were drunk, but they were mouthing the words none the less. This is pretty much how it went:

<Derek> "How can You like me? I'm so........WOOOOOOOOOOO" (as he flails his hands in the air acting crazy)

<Diem> "Yeah, but the 'WOOOOOO' is what makes it exciting"

<Derek> (very contemplative) "............yeah."

I think God is a lot like that. Not so much the drunk part but the 'WOOOOO' part. I think we like to picture God as this real safe guy who has everything under control. I think only half that is right. I do think God is in control, but I think his control is a little bit outside my comfort zone.

I know every writer in the world has quoted C.S. Lewis, so without further adieu:

"Is---is he a man?" asked Lucy.

"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a Lion--the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he---quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe. 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

Most of the time, when we are trying to control everything, I don't think we are feeling God's 'WOOOOO'. I think we want to have everything planned out. Knowing where our next paycheck is coming from. Knowing where we are going to sleep that night and what car we'll drive in the morning. I think the more we try and control, the more we lose the 'Wooooo'.

And when we lose the 'WOOOOO,' we lose the excitement.

I don't want to loose that. I want to keep the 'WOOOOO' alive. I want to trust in God's organized chaos of life. I want to live life not in the safety of his will, but in the danger of it. I want to step out of that boat and meet Jesus on the water. More than that, I want to crawl up on the cross and die to myself.

Oh, give me the courage to meet Aslan. To look at the King with trembling knees. If I can do that, I know one thing...somewhere inside of me, there will be a 'WOOOO'.

And unlike Derek and Diem, I'll probably remember it in the morning.