Parent.Point

biblical advice for parenting teenage sons

The Lure of Fantasy

We all do it: young and old, childish and mature, rich and poor, fit and flabby. We all have thoughts about the “what if’s” of life. There is a lure to create our own personal fantasy “reality.” Fantasy seems to be an anchor element of our culture. This lure has its roots all the way back in the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Eve with the fantasy that she could be more and have more.

There is often, in the back of our minds, a secret longing for a reality where we get what we want and are seen as the awesome, smart, popular, and/or talented person that we want to be known as to those around us. We do all we can to look cool - to be seen as “all put together.” The online world (whether gaming, social networking, or shopping) is built around feeding our fantasies of greatness. That is one key reason that the web is so compelling and captures our time, focus, and energy. We can be selective in what we divulge, and good feedback is cheap (and effective at winning more of our life’s investment).

Fantasy can creep into the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the houses we live in, and the hobbies (and gear) we invest in. Fantasy can even creep into the church we attend and the relationships we pursue.