BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE
In WHY ARE THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE?, we dealt with the origin of the sin/guilt/fear software that runs the universe. But how was this software “written”?
In review, the son “perceived” that he had sinned against HEAVEN (and GOD) by making the choice to leave, for which he felt tremendous guilt. Since guilt deserves punishment, which he wrongly assumed would come from DAD, he feared the punishment he would face when he returned HOME, hence, the software of sin/guilt/fear.
You are probably wondering how could all those feelings be generated from such a decision? Let’s take a simple analogy.
Pretend you are 8 years old. Your parents think you are old enough to stay home alone while they make a quick trip to the store. While they are gone, you are rummaging through a kitchen drawer looking for Scotch tape for an art project. You happen to run across a box of wooden matches, which, upon quick investigation, look tantalizingly seductive. You don’t know exactly what you are going to do with them, but doing something with them you are going to do. You race upstairs to your bedroom, sit down on the floor, open the box, take out a match, and smell the potential. You have never struck one of these things before, but the curiosity is killing you. So, you locate the striking area on the side of the box, take a matchstick firmly in hand, and have a go at it. The thing ignites far more explosively than you anticipate, scares the h*ll out of you, and you quickly release it from your hand and move out of the way. It unfortunately lands on a pile of covers from your unmade bed and suddenly catches the sheet on fire. Holy crap! You are frozen with fear.
Trying to process the situation, you frantically try to stamp out the point of ignition with a shoe laying nearby, but that only seems to make matters worse. Running quickly to the bathroom for water, the biggest container you can find is the cup you use to wash out your mouth after brushing your teeth. A couple of trips with this measly amount amounts to too little. Now, the flames on your bed have spread to nearby curtains, where you soon realize that both the house and your life may soon be curtains.
You are now in full-blown panic-mode. You assess that the only escape is to escape. So, you race down the stairs, out the back door, take one last panicked look from the middle of the yard, and hightail it over the back fence, into the alley, running away as fast as you can.
Hiding up in a tree at a nearby park, frozen in fear and confusion, you can see the smoke rising in the distance, and hear the cacophony of fire truck sirens announcing the end of your world.
In WHY ARE THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE?, we dealt with the origin of the sin/guilt/fear software that runs the universe. But how was this software “written”?
In review, the son “perceived” that he had sinned against HEAVEN (and GOD) by making the choice to leave, for which he felt tremendous guilt. Since guilt deserves punishment, which he wrongly assumed would come from DAD, he feared the punishment he would face when he returned HOME, hence, the software of sin/guilt/fear.
You are probably wondering how could all those feelings be generated from such a decision? Let’s take a simple analogy.
Pretend you are 8 years old. Your parents think you are old enough to stay home alone while they make a quick trip to the store. While they are gone, you are rummaging through a kitchen drawer looking for Scotch tape for an art project. You happen to run across a box of wooden matches, which, upon quick investigation, look tantalizingly seductive. You don’t know exactly what you are going to do with them, but doing something with them you are going to do. You race upstairs to your bedroom, sit down on the floor, open the box, take out a match, and smell the potential. You have never struck one of these things before, but the curiosity is killing you. So, you locate the striking area on the side of the box, take a matchstick firmly in hand, and have a go at it. The thing ignites far more explosively than you anticipate, scares the h*ll out of you, and you quickly release it from your hand and move out of the way. It unfortunately lands on a pile of covers from your unmade bed and suddenly catches the sheet on fire. Holy crap! You are frozen with fear.
Trying to process the situation, you frantically try to stamp out the point of ignition with a shoe laying nearby, but that only seems to make matters worse. Running quickly to the bathroom for water, the biggest container you can find is the cup you use to wash out your mouth after brushing your teeth. A couple of trips with this measly amount amounts to too little. Now, the flames on your bed have spread to nearby curtains, where you soon realize that both the house and your life may soon be curtains.
You are now in full-blown panic-mode. You assess that the only escape is to escape. So, you race down the stairs, out the back door, take one last panicked look from the middle of the yard, and hightail it over the back fence, into the alley, running away as fast as you can.
Hiding up in a tree at a nearby park, frozen in fear and confusion, you can see the smoke rising in the distance, and hear the cacophony of fire truck sirens announcing the end of your world.
Time seems as frozen as your state of mind.
As it dawns on you that there is no future up in the tree, you hesitantly
slither down, and slowly make your way “home”, knowing that your future bodes
nothing good. From a block away, you observe the mass of confusion on
your street, with fire trucks, police cars, caution-tape, neighbors and
strangers. What a nightmare! How could such a innocently simple
decision lead to this?
As you attempt to peer through the confusion, you see your distraught parents talking to firemen, who, at the same moment, happen to lay eyes on you looking at them. They are beside themselves, and come rushing to greet you, thinking you had gone “up in smoke” along with the house. It’s hugs and relief all around--except for you. You are expecting the worst. After all, look what you’ve done--burnt the friggin house to the ground. They don’t even have a punishment to fit your crime.
But, much to your surprise, your parents attempt to convey that they don’t care about the house--they are just relieved you are safe. The house is insured and can be replaced. You are neither.
It’s not that hard to relate to the tremendous emotional turmoil something like this would create in the mind of a child, but, from an adult perspective, the view would be much different. And so lies the distinction between how GOD sees our situation, and how we do. Our perspective is heavily skewed to the worst-case-scenario, while GOD welcomes back HIS beloved son.
Now, play this scenario out on an unimaginable scale within the mind of GOD and you have the software of sin/guilt/fear.
DAD is just waiting for you to leave it all behind so HE can throw a couple of shrimp on the barbee for you.
Bon appetit.
As you attempt to peer through the confusion, you see your distraught parents talking to firemen, who, at the same moment, happen to lay eyes on you looking at them. They are beside themselves, and come rushing to greet you, thinking you had gone “up in smoke” along with the house. It’s hugs and relief all around--except for you. You are expecting the worst. After all, look what you’ve done--burnt the friggin house to the ground. They don’t even have a punishment to fit your crime.
But, much to your surprise, your parents attempt to convey that they don’t care about the house--they are just relieved you are safe. The house is insured and can be replaced. You are neither.
It’s not that hard to relate to the tremendous emotional turmoil something like this would create in the mind of a child, but, from an adult perspective, the view would be much different. And so lies the distinction between how GOD sees our situation, and how we do. Our perspective is heavily skewed to the worst-case-scenario, while GOD welcomes back HIS beloved son.
Now, play this scenario out on an unimaginable scale within the mind of GOD and you have the software of sin/guilt/fear.
DAD is just waiting for you to leave it all behind so HE can throw a couple of shrimp on the barbee for you.
Bon appetit.
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