Once upon a time.

    Ever have a time when you reflected back on the good that happened to you and through you?  Have you been able to focus on the positive and leave the negative out of the equation?  Can you picture God caring for you and your needs without your asking?  Do you see the positive or the negative in your future?
     Just like in the fairy tale world we have expectations that are not necessarily based in reality.  That's because they are fairy tales and there are no fairies.  "And everyone lived happily ever after."  Yep, that describes my life.  Not!  In fact that statement isn't true for anyone I know.  Yet we do consider the fairy tales in our lives.  Christmas is not so much about Christ's birth or giving as it is about commercialism and what you get for Christmas presents.  If we can believe it Easter is about a rabbit laying colored eggs that we look through the grass for.  Not even close to the reality of getting up in the wee morning hours and commuting to work along with millions of others. 
     I've come across a couple (only 2) people who live and act like "happily ever after" is true.  While the rest of us may be waiting for, "Once upon a time." they seem to live in this world where there are rivers of chocolate or a car that flies.  Perhaps you even chase the leprechaun to retrieve the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  There are days dedicated to donuts and secretaries days.  However, I do not see a work for free or day off with pay holidays. 
     What happens when we set up the Once Upon a Time scenario in our lives?  The very first thing that leaves our unreal world is God.  Instead we find ourselves wanting to believe in something concocted by man.  The gambling addict who spends his paycheck before he can get home to care for his family first is one victim.  Another finds his/her bravery in the bottle behind the counter.  Still others put their comfort into believing that reality doesn't exist. 
     When the house starts to crumble we don't get someone to shore it up; we just move to another house.  The divorce and separation from your kids 2 times a month and vacation becomes your success.  Since you haven't learned, you repeat the plan again and again.  Nothing changes because you didn't change.    We can listen to all the experts, adhere to all the self-help books teachings and still have nothing if we don't seek the change in our lives.  We often don't do that because we don't know where life will lead us. 
     Rapunzel climbed down from the tower with a rope made of her own hair.  She escaped but her rescuer did not.  Happy ending?  If you are the third little pig you have a chance.  However, that's a 1 in 3 chance for you and I.  Again, we accept the 1 in 3 chance instead of going for the real deal.  We accept the imagined and neglect the proven.
     Reality is God doing what he said he would do in his time and in his own way.  The Word says he knows and takes care of all our needs.  Still we tend to try and do things our way, the comfortable way without taking chances.  Reality is waiting on God to speak before we do anything.  Waiting?!  Not really our cup of tea.  God and his choices for us are the same now as they were for Adam and Eve.  What's changed?  We've become more and more convinced that magical thinking is the best choice.
      Once upon a time God created a world and populated it with all living creatures.  Once upon a time they rebelled and chose sin over holiness.  Once upon a time God send Jesus, his Son, to earth to redeem mankind through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus.  Once upon a time someone spoke to you or someone near you about life.  Once upon a time you may have believed and then walked away.  Once upon a time God did the work for you for all of eternity.  Once upon a time mankind responded to God's pleas.  Once upon a time you and I were given the choice of following God our ourselves every single moment of every single day.  Once upon a time you and I made the choice to.....?  What is your choice?