The Realist

A realist is often mistaken for a pessimist: he doesn't necessarily want to "rain on your parade," he just wants us to see things as they really are. Hear what the Puritan wrote about God: "All nations are nothing before Thee; one generation succeeds another, and we hasten back to the dust; the heavens we behold will vanish away like the clouds that cover them, the earth we tread on will dissolve as a a morning dream." We find ourselves betwixt the joyful beauty of this world and its wickedness. As I sat on the front porch this morning, my mind and heart were drawn to the beauty of God's creation yet the realism of life here on earth. As Believers, we live with and in great hope: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Matthew 24:35). The Puritan prayed, "But Thou, unchangeable and incorruptible, art for ever and ever, God over all, blessed eternally. Infinitely great and glorious art Thou ... May Thy Holy Scriptures govern every part of our lives."  That which shall not pass away - that which endures forever, beyond this present world. Let us live in this Truth - be a realist.