Escapism

Escapism.

I am prone to this.

Escapism, according to dictionary.com is the avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc.

Excessive TV is a form of escapism. Going online can sometimes be a form of escapism. Keeping myself busy is also a form of escapism.

Escapism after awhile, eats at you.

Not in a good way though.

It makes you… stuck cos you’re not addressing the real issues that need to be dealt with.

classic case of reality vs hyper-reality

When I heard the below song and read the lyrics… Made me realise, that actually, God is and should be our only “escape”; when things are tough or stressful, we can “escape” and find refuge in Him; when things are confusing, we can “escape” and rest in the clarity of His presence.

Easier said than done, but the reality I have to tell my heart is this:

Stop struggling. Stop procrastinating. Let go. Let God.

I’ve given up on giving up slowly, I’m blending in so
You won’t even know me apart from this whole world that shares my fate
This one last bullet you mention is my one last shot at redemption
because I know to live you must give your life away

And I’ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity and
I’ve been locked inside that house all the while You hold the key
And I’ve been dying to get out and that might be the death of me
And even though, there’s no way in knowing where to go, I promise I’m going

because

I gotta get outta here
I’m stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake
I gotta get outta here
And I’m begging You, I’m begging You, I’m begging You to be my escape

I’m giving up on doing this alone now
Cause I’ve failed and I’m ready to be shown how
He’s told me the way and I’m trying to get there
And this life sentence that I’m serving
I admit that I’m every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair

Cause I’ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity and
I’ve been locked inside that house all the while You hold the key
And I’ve been dying to get out and that might be the death of me
And even though, there’s no way in knowing where to go, I promise I’m going

because

I gotta get outta here
Cause I’m afraid that this complacency is something I can’t shake
I gotta get outta here
And I’m begging You, I’m begging You, I’m begging You to be my escape

I am a hostage to my own humanity
Self detained and forced to live in this mess I’ve made
And all I’m asking is for You to do what You can with me
But I can’t ask You to give what You already gave

Cause I’ve been housing all this doubt and insecurity and
I’ve been locked inside that house all the while you hold the key
And I’ve been dying to get out and that might be the death of me
And even though, there’s no way in knowing where to go, I promise I’m going

because

I’ve gotta get outta here
I’m stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake
I’ve gotta get outta here
And I’m begging You, I’m begging You, I’m begging You to be my escape

I fought You for so long
I should have let You in
Oh how we regret those things we do
And all I was trying to do was save my own skin
But so were You

So were You

Written by Matthew Thiessen of RelientK 2004 Gotee Music Publishing

everything

What can I do with my obsession?
With the things I cannot see
Is there madness in my being?
Is it wind that blows the trees?
Sometimes You’re further than the moon
Sometimes You’re closer than my skin
And You surround me like a winter fog
You’ve come and burned me with a kiss

And my heart burns for You
And my heart burns

And I’m so filthy with my sin
I carry pride like a disease
You know I’m stubborn God and I’m longing
to be close
You burn me deeper than I know
I feel lonely without hope
I feel desperate without vision
You wrap around me like a winter coat
You come and free me like a bird

And my heart burns for You
And my heart burns for You

Written by Martin Smith 1995 Curious? Music UK

Psalm 139:1-13

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Question remains:
Will He be my everything?

There is a rainbow

Article taken from here

Revelation 4:3, “And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.”

We know that the rainbow is the symbol of God’s covenant with Noah (and us) that He will never again destroy the Earth with a flood, Genesis 9:8-17. Rainbows are probably something everyone has had some experience with, and we might each recall some experience we cannot forget, that made us immediately think of this passage.

When I lived in Arizona, I witnessed a triple rainbow. The one on top was the strongest in view, but there were clearly three there right on top of each other. In Iceland, I will never forget looking upon a double rainbow that spanned the entire horizon, and seemed as if it went from one end of the Earth to the other. It was amazing.

John had a different sight before him, and it is even more wondrous than any rainbow we have seen. It is a scene in Heaven, and it is a rainbow that circles the throne. It is “around the throne,” and so we can only imagine how striking this sight was for John.

There is a rainbow around the throne. We should see the significance of this. We mentioned God’s covenant with Noah in Genesis 9, but the memory of that covenant is with Him, as John sees His throne. He keeps a memory of His promised faithfulness ever present with Him in Heaven. Isn’t that thought glorious? It is a blessing that the Lord keeps all His promises. If there was one that He did not keep, we could wonder about any of the others. He does keep his promises, and for this we may be thankful. We have our troubles – we all do. Let us be thankful that there is this proof of the divine promises, even around the throne of God. It is proof of God’s loving faithfulness. There is a rainbow around the throne that shows His eternal covenant love. It is impossible that God should deal with His children in any other way than in love. It is a sure hope of our faith, that we have this consolation given to us here by the Lord, to John, concerning the throne of God.

We have no right to God’s grace and mercy. It is given freely to stubborn, rebellious sinners. For the believer, there is a promise of grace and mercy that will never fail. The goodness and loving-kindness of God are often emphasized in Scripture, concerning His children. In fact, it is done in many ways. We find comfort here. Even in our darkest struggles, there is still a rainbow of God’s kindness around the throne. John saw it with his eyes. We see it by faith.

We live on this.

There are so many who have no hope. Every dark, painful experience leads them to greater despair, but not so the child of God. Even our dark times are mediated by knowing that the tender love of God is over all. He loves His children and is, right now, preparing them to be with Him in His glory. In the midst of our struggles, there is the rainbow. We can rejoice in the God of our salvation who ever loves us, and has from before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4.