Midweek Message: Cartoon Capers

Proverbs 28:19           He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

Years ago, I used to watch a TV show called “My World and Welcome to It,” starring William Windom, one of my favorite American actors. Windom played a cartoonist called John Monroe and the storylines of each episode were crafted around short stories written by American humorist and cartoonist James Thurber. In fact, it was James Thurber’s cartoons that peaked my interest in drawing.

In the show, John Monroe often resorted to fantasy and created cartoons in his head to deal with the issues and problems he was facing. It was a fascinating way to bring solutions to his family’s difficulties and everything was usually neatly resolved by the end of the 30-minute show. It was pure escapism and moralistic entertainment, but it was only comedic drama and could not be counted upon as a real way of dealing with personal issues or family problems. 

The gift of imagination that God has given each of us can be a blessing or a disappointment. We can fantasize about being successful, rich, and famous; we can even draw on paper or make cartoons in our heads about experiencing health, wealth, and power, but unless we do something about achieving those goals, they are just mere fantasies and unfulfilled dreams that disappear into thin air.

It's the same with our faith. Every day, we are given a new opportunity to do something better with our lives and make something beautiful for God. The potential is there and the dreams for doing good are in our hearts and on our minds, but do we have the resolve to follow through and fulfill them? As Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers once said: “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” 

So, the challenge for us today is this: will we work more with our faith and share Christ’s love, or just dream and fantasize about it?

Prayer:              Lord Jesus, You fully know what our life’s potential is. There are things that You would have us accomplish this week for Your Kingdom. Help us to focus on what we need to do to fulfill the tasks of faith You constantly set before us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Pastor John