Arthur Curtis was enjoying his life immensely. He had a loving wife, a beautiful and affectionate daughter, a successful career. All of it! Except… Arthur Curtis was a fictional character being played by actor Gerald Raigan, whose real life was the exact opposite. His ex-wife was bitter and vindictive. His career was on the precipice, and he was an alcoholic.
The distress of Raigan’s real life had caused him to delude himself into believing he was in fact Arthur Curtis. As the layers of the delusion began to peel away and he finally had to come to grips with the truth that he was in fact Gerald Raigan and not Arthur Curtis, he sat in a chair in his movie set office and prayed, “Please don’t leave me here.” He preferred to be alive in his fantasy world than in his real life. And in this episode of The Twilight Zone, titled “A World of Difference,” his wish was granted.
When I am in distress I too pray, “Please don’t leave me here.” But I do not seek the Lord to transport me to a delusional world. On the contrary, I ask Him to bless my perception of the real one. I ask for deliverance from a faithless interpretation of my life. An interpretation that produces hopelessness, joylessness, worry, fear and other maladies of the spirit. I ask Him to deliver me to the truth of His presence in my life, His power in my life, His love in my life and His faithfulness in my life. In short, I ask Him to help me live my real life by faith in Him. And He makes a world of difference. “The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
Thank you, Pastor. It is so true. God is the only one who gives us the correct perspective. Not my will but His. In Him we live, move, and have our being! God bless you and please keep allowing Him to use you for His glory.
Sunday’s sermon was a blessing. We are listening to it again to glean the nuggets of truth we want to remember.