Vital signs- Wednesday, February 8th, 2023

HAS PRETEND BECOME REAL? ‘Dad, i I can’t fly down the stairs even though I'm wearing my Superman cape! Why, Dad What’s wrong?’,

Being my usual practical self, fight the urge to roll my eyes back and say DUH! Instead, I patiently remind him that this only happens in the ‘pretend’ world. He knows it but often needs to be reminded of this stark, not-so-fun reality! Our son absolutely loved pretend play, so much so that at times he struggled to differentiate between pretend and real! The pretend world is rather nice, isn't it? The real world has too many brutal truths to deal with. No wonder we have one too many superhero stories and thrilling sci-fi movies! We choose to live in a world that is more what we had hoped for it to be, rather than what it is. This can be tricky but it is something we need to remind ourselves about. Again and again. But the Good News is this: There is HELP to live this life in complete fullness and with joy! Take a look at the passage of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). The conversation between Jesus and the woman and the events that follow are a paradigm shift into the discussion on identity and liberty. From merely being known as a Samaritan woman with five husbands, her new-found identity lay in being a messenger for the Messiah! In fact, she is so talked about today all over the world for her bold new identity! Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. The undiluted, amazing, eternal truth is this: Our identity lies in the person of Jesus Christ alone. Nothing ever can change that! He dwells and abides in us and calls us to a relationship with Him. ‘…for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, For we are also His children.’ (Acts 17:28) He is Real! So while the pretend tends to entice us, the Truth IS REAL!

“for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭28‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Father

Today help us to see ourselves the way you see us in our new identity. We are the righteousness of Christ! We are joint heirs with Jesus! We are royal priest! We are children of God.

In Jesus name

Team Wade loves you and is praying for you ❤️👊