The last time I wrote to you, I wrote about quicksand appearing in all of those old westerns. It seems unfair not to now give equal time to perhaps the greatest, most overplayed movie challenge of all time, which is amnesia. I’m convinced that every major television series ever written, produced and aired has featured at least one episode that involved the main character developing a case of amnesia. It generally happens because of a bump on the head during a very traumatic event or some form of accident. From that point on, the entire show is about the person trying to find out who they are. Sometimes these shows portray characters who we know nothing about, as amnesia victims. In this case we are along for the ride in a mystery. While the character is discovering who they are, so are we as the audience. These characters often have certain personality flaws revealed to them, which lead them to question whether or not they are, or have been, a good person in their life, up until now.
These shows are designed to lead us down a pathway to eventually look at ourselves and question who we truly are being in our life. Are we deceiving ourselves as to the type of person that we’ve allowed ourselves to become? Are we being honest with ourselves about whom we say to others that we are?
I once knew a man who spent much of his life telling folks that the only thing that he truly had was his character and for this reason he put a very high value on making his word his bond. “I’m a man of my word,” he would say, “That’s all I truly have.” I knew this man well enough to know that he truly believed that he was a man of his word. The problem was that I knew that he actually was not. I knew beyond any doubt that he had lied, cheated, stolen and deceived even some of his closest friends. The weird part was that I knew that he honestly believed himself to be a man of his word. He somehow had the ability, in his deception, to fool even himself. Yes, maybe deep, deep down he knew the truth, but he had lied to others so often about his character, that he had begun to believe it himself. What’s more, he was so good at the deception that nearly everyone who knew him actually took him at his word and believed his lie. Many times he was able to keep his word to one person in order to prove to them, and probably himself, that he was such a man. Unfortunately, while he was proving himself to one person, he might be deceiving someone else. I knew of a time when he lied to one person about why he couldn’t be at location “A”, saying that he had to work, while in reality he was at location “B” hanging out with friends.
Fortunately, after many years, this man finally did come to see who he truly was being and chose to change and thereby allow himself to actually become the man that he had told others that he was all along. His amnesia about what kind of man he truly was became healed through his relationship with God. When he allowed God to show him who he was being, despite whom he said he was; God led him out of darkness and into the harsh light of truth. The harsh light of truth only remains harsh for a little while. Soon, the eyes adjust to the light and we become capable of walking in the light with God. Just remember, it’s not who you’ve been that is ultimately important, but who you will allow yourself to become. With God’s help and direction, we can all be who He has made us to be: His loving, justified and forgiven children. Blessings!
SPEAK / ADD YOUR COMMENT
Comments are moderated.
