“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” – Walt Disney
The other day I watched a documentary on the life of Walt Disney. I was raised on classics like Snow White, Pinocchio, Mary Poppins and the Lion King.
So Disney’s stories greatly impacted my childhood. My mom took me to Disney World when I was little. It was the happiest place on earth, lol! The finished products of Disney’s imagination look so natural, it seems they would be easy to produce. When you discover the actual creative process, the business acumen, and the financial and personal risk it took for Disney to establish both the Studios and his creations-you find that the truth is much more complex. COMPLEX means consisting of many different and connected parts; not easy to analyze or understand; complicated or intricate. It’s hard to believe Disney’s vision for ‘The Disney Florida Project,’ (Epocot and Disney World) was in his mind in the ’50’s, or that his chain smoking caused his death at 65. Our God is LORD of both the simple and the complex. When people say that the LORD isn’t into complexities, I remind them of His instructions to Noah, Moses, David and Solomon for the construction of the Ark, the Tabernacle and the Temple. (Gen. 6; Ex. 25-31;1 Chron. 28-2 Chron. 5) God can allow us to discover something in the simple flow of faith or He can tell us in intricate detail what, who, when, where, how, and sometimes even why He wants something…and we still won’t comprehend fully all that He’s doing. Paul exclaimed, ” Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33) So glad the Holy Spirit reveals His mind!
On the flip side, our lives are often too complex. Solomon said, “God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.” (Eccl. 7:30, JB) I crave a life of simplicity! When life is as complex as the picture to your left, you can get a COMPLEX – a disproportionate level of concern or anxiety. This is not from the LORD. Distractions turn our focus to many other things outside of Christ, and all that activity can become an idol. It’s my desire to rid myself of this type of complexity, so that I can be open to receive God’s complex and creative ideas. |
