Beware the Mirage
The legendary Western author Louis L’Amour, in his novel “The Burning Hills,” paints a most vivid word picture. Because of his artful description, with very little effort, you will see what he is saying. Listen:
“His thoughts no longer clear, he got drunkenly to his knees and got hold of the stirrup, pulling himself erect. Somehow, he got into the saddle, and, of his own volition, the horse began to walk. Heat waves shimmered their veil across the distance. Above the mirage of a distant blue lake, the heads of the cedars peered like strange beings from some enchanted world. There were passages of delirium then, through which were woven thin threads of sanity. He must rest soon”.
You don’t have to be a wounded and heat-stricken cowboy to know that there are “passages of delirium” in your life when you cannot see things as they really are. L’Amour is right when he says there are sometimes “threads of sanity.” But I know from experience those threads are often worn thin.
Our hopes, plans, and dreams often get lost in the “heat” of life. Light rays are bent in a naturally-occurring phenomenon called a mirage, and the refraction creates displaced and distorted objects. Because of this mirage, those treasured things that once seemed crystal clear are shimmering, out of focus, and barely definable. Therefore, often during the desert and barren parts of our life trek, we usually throw in the proverbial towel. Based on what we think we see, it’s just not worth it! This statement is far from the truth.
Don’t make the mistake of misunderstanding! Thousands have misunderstood a stepping stone for a stumbling block and plunged head over hills, leaving what’s left of ambition to a pile of debris. Beware the mirage!
There are some simple secrets to ensure you are not fooled by the trickery of deceiving dream stealers.
Don’t allow your “wondering” to turn into wandering.
Get control of your thoughts before they get control of you. 1 Peter 1:13 NLT says - “prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control….”
Make sure your dreams and goals are written down and clear before you set out. Don’t give up on what is best for a shimmering replacement! Habakkuk 2:2 ESV “…Write the vision; make it plain…”
Understand that your principles define you but the desert and wilderness often refine you. Just because the desert appears to be a “wasteland” doesn’t mean the experience has to be a waste. “1 Peter 1:7 NLT “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold….”
Beware the mirage!
Learn from someone who knew life’s scorching desert well:
“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright.” Paul from Tarsus (1 Corinthians 13:12)