The Uprogrammed Programmer has programmed each of us to be tempted by the entities He programmed. In life, we may choose to attempt to grow closer to programmed entities or to The Programmer. It is difficult to do both, though many try.
Sometimes, we meet people who are utterly oblivious to the God Who told us to be as cunning as snakes. The other day, my daughter was home. She and I went to see my father, who’s older and worldly. He had the last six months of National Geographics stacked neatly on a table next to where I was sitting, and, like being in a doctor’s office, I thumbed through them waiting for my turn to talk.
One issue had a picture of its cover that was taken at night. It showed the lights of a vast suburb, illustrating the “dangers of light pollution”, which was the lead story inside. “Leftist drivel.”, I said, out loud, on seeing the cover. My father said of my comment, “It must be sad to go through life like that.”
I gave it to my daughter, and asked her if the article was more about political correctness than anything else. She skimmed it for less than half a minute, and said, “Yes. It’s just political correctness.”
My father, after more than eight decades of conscious, reasonable thought, was actually startled. He actually spent three quarters of a century believing that the National Geographic was more interested in truth than in propaganda for well-read leftists. He believes almost everything that’s provided by media authorities, and, like most, represents a degree of innocence that ignores Christ’s injunction to “be as cunning as snakes”.
He does not believe in a living God Who loves him, and epitomizes what Chesterton said, “The man who believes in nothing believes in everything.”
I keep saying, “Dad, it’s time to start cramming for your finals.” He chuckles, and goes on preferring to read the National Geographic.
