Where’s Waldo

 

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Have you seen those “Where’s Waldo” books? Little Waldo is the personification of a needle in a haystack. Somewhere in the pages of pictures, a sea of faces and crowded scenery there is an image of Waldo and the task is to find him. To do so you have to concentrate on the picture look at it so closely that every detail is discernible.

Last night I had a conversation with some lovely and amazing women I am blessed to know. We were talking about how easy, how painfully easy it is to get caught up in the world, to see and hear the negative. I shared a little of what I’ve learned about changing my focus, turning my thoughts back to God, back to the Word.

The world tells us that we are irresponsible if we don’t care about politics, government, the current news stories and the latest trends. Our innate desire to fit in encourages us to know who is who and what is what. Remember that the world is full of lies.

We are told that certain things are reality and that we have to deal with them. I find that in this world a lot of “reality” is transient and that it changes based on popular opinion and what is convenient. As the moral standards take a beating the “realities” of life get altered. We are admonished to tolerate abhorrent behavior in the name of progress. We are searching for peace while peering at the current state of the world and there is precious little peace to be found in the world.

I often quote my son Joseph, who as a teenager, sometimes caught in a lie would tell me, “Ma, you’re focusing on the wrong part of the story.” When we dwell on the problem, peer into the morass trying to find our personal “Waldo” we miss the Solution, the Savior, the One being who actually does have the answer and who can provide comfort.

It is the deep desire of our enemy that we focus on the wrong part of the story. While we cannot deny that the enemy wins battles, we can find our hope in the Truth that Satan loses the war. Ultimately, God wins. We give our enemy victory in battles when we accept defeat rather than fight. When we stare intently at a problem in our life we remember all the similar ones that have preceded it. We are quickly reminded of our inadequacies in facing the demons. We see the reality of our failures.
I can freely admit I have failed more than I like to think about. There are plenty of wounds in my life for the enemy to poke his fingers in and dig around. That’s reality but it isn’t the Truth.

John 8:32 says, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” That is lovely, pure, noble, isn’t it? I want to be free.

Next time the enemy wants to lead you down the rabbit hole of fear or self-condemnation remember Waldo. Think about how intently you have to look for him and how easy it is for your eyes to glaze over and your mind to feel overloaded in view of those pages. Then turn your mind and heart to the verse from Philippians and dwell in the Truth. Focus on the things that are praiseworthy and excellent. Know the Truth and let Him set you free.