Reality

I wonder about this thing called “reality”. What is it? Where is it? What does it do? Is it unique to each person, or is there a common reality? When someone’s reality is warped somehow, how do we know that? Who or what defines reality? How can I know whether my reality is the “real” reality?
Yeah, yeah, I know this may be heavy stuff for a Saturday, especially in the morning. You haven’t had your coffee yet and have only begun to stir even though it’s 10am here as I type this, and you’re reading it after it’s posted.
The questions remain, though. Our making excuses for our lack of brain power don’t make the questions go away. Our refusing to answer the questions don’t make them go away. Our ignoring them don’t make them go away. Somehow, we all answer the questions about reality in some way. Whether consciously or not, we form opinions about reality. Then we live in accordance with those opinions.
It’s the same with other topics. Jesus, for example, is a good subject for questions that will not go away even though we may ignore them or make excuses for not answering them. The reality is that there was indeed an historical Jesus of Nazareth. The reality is that he claimed to be God (I AM, Jehovah) in the flesh. The reality is that he died from crucifixion at the hand of the Romans. The reality is that his followers gave up their lives, their fortunes, and their “sacred honor” to promote his cause. The reality is that the movement he and his followers began is alive and well on planet earth.
The questions are legion and demand an answer. Is Jesus of Nazareth who he claims to be? If not, is he a crazy man for making such claims? Or is he a charlatan…a liar? If he isn’t who he says he is, he has to be one of the other two. Which one? Why did his followers give all they had for his cause, if he was a lunatic or liar?
If he is who he claims to be, then he also is alive and well today. What will we do with that fact? He calls us to a radical life and total devotion. How will we handle that in today’s world?
Jesus calls us to a reality that is too big for us to grasp. Yet it is a reality that is what we were designed for…created for. I can’t wait.