The Expectation of Reality

If we are going to get to the bottom of satisfaction and real joy, we need to start with the basics. What is the real reason that satisfaction is so hard to find? Of course the core reason is sin, specifically pride. Everything boils down to pride and our predilection to see ourselves in a far better light than we ought. Romans 1:18-20 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

We are truth suppressors. There is no doubt about it. Look around at the world and take stock of the excuses people make and the lies they tell themselves in order to manipulate circumstances to their favor. Look at your own life. What do you tell yourself when you do something you know you ought not to do? It is amazing the spinning we do to justify our actions in order to alleviate our feelings of guilt.
“She didn’t really understand that I insulted her, so I don’t need to feel bad about it.”
“What he said was wrong, so I was justified in pointing that out for everyone to see.”
“There’s never anyone on the road at this time of night. It’s not hurting anyone to drive as fast as I would like.”
The excuses go on and on.

So our suppressing and our spinning lead us to an outlook on life that is contrary to truth. Yes my friends, there really is truth – God’s truth. Not “my truth” and “your truth”. That kind of thinking just comes from suppressing real truth and spinning our own. Betrayal of trust is wrong, taking something that doesn’t belong to you is not okay, torturing babies is never acceptable, and killing a person for your own gain is heinous. We all know this. They are not societal standards that we are taught. Every culture, every person, for all time has known this. Even Hitler had to spin mass genocide as a necessity for the benefit of the human race and instill fear to keep it quiet. Truth is written on our conscience.
“For when Gentiles (those not originally given the law by Moses; not Hebrews), who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” Romans 2:14-16

We have gotten so good at suppressing truth that our expectations of what life should be are not at all in line with reality. Think about it. If there is truth, and we can see from the way all humans behave that there is, every world view and expectation of life cannot possibly co-exist. So, through a world view comes expectations of how life should unfold. That is the biggest satisfaction killer right there! If you assume that your life has a certain trajectory, you are going to be very disappointed when it falls flat. That’s a huge problem! It is human nature to apply our knowledge of the world and to make plans for the best way to live in it. Isn’t that what education is for? Therefore, the only way to be truly satisfied in life is to match our expectations to reality.

“Well fantastic!” you say. There doesn’t seem to be a single unified consensus on what reality is.
Reality is created by the mind, we can change our reality by changing our mind. ~Plato
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. ~Einstein
Everything you can imagine is real. ~Picasso
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torment of man. ~Nietzsche
Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it. ~Jane Wagner
What a bunch of unhelpful, confusing, and depressing opinions!

The dictionary defines reality as: the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them. So, it is extremely important to view the world (world view) as it actually exists. If we have a world view grounded in the existence of truth, built upon how it actually exists, and a clear view of the purpose of why things happen to us, then expectation matches reality. Consequently, we are satisfied that all is as it should be.

But how are we supposed to know truth, how things actually exist, and the purpose behind what happens? Well there is only one person who knows, and guess what? It’s not Oprah, Dr. Phil, or anyone else on TV, radio, or YouTube! It is the one who defines reality. The one who created time, space, and hung the stars in their orbits. He made this world, the scientific rules that order it, the moral rules that govern it, and all the life that lives on it. He planned the full scope of history before the world was formed. There is not one iota of life in this universe that escapes his notice, not one subatomic particle that does not operate according to his command. He is ultimate reality. It exists because He exists. It never changes because He never changes.

Now, I know this doesn’t settle our expectations in one fell swoop. There are so many unknowns in life. We have so many questions! This is going to be a process, dear ones. We have only just laid the groundwork and now need to start building our way up. Each following post will add a foundation for support, walls for structure, and windows for clarity. The best foundation for anything is God – who He really is as revealed to us by his own self. If we want to match expectation to reality, we need to start with the truth of that. That’s where we start next. Let’s dig into the reality of God.