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The Search for Ultimate Satisfaction

Disillusionment Self-worth Purpose

Source: "73rd Golden Globe Awards (2016) Poster 73rd Golden Globe Awards (2016 TV Special) Jim Carrey: Self - Presenter"

Link to Source: Click here to view source

Contributed By: Kenneth Stetler | Date Posted: 2023-03-17

Scripture: Ephesians 4:10 ; Psalms 138:8

Author: Kenneth Stetler
6

ILLUSTRATION

At the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, actor Jim Carrey took to the stage to introduce the nominees for Best Motion Picture Comedy. But his speech was more than just an introduction to the nominated actors; it was, in fact, an introduction to the inner searches of his soul. While he began with a personal introduction, it quickly turned into a painfully honest critique on man's search for meaning.

So after being introduced as "two-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey," he proceeded to crack a couple self-aggrandizing jokes about what it’s like to be a two-time award winner.

Carrey remarked,

"Thank you, I am two-time Golden Globe winner, Jim Carrey. And when I go to sleep at night, I'm not just a guy going to sleep. I'm two-time Golden Globe winner, Jim Carrey, going to get some well needed shut-eye. And when I dream, I don’t just dream any old dream. No sir. I dream about being three-time Golden Globe winning actor, Jim Carrey — because then I would be enough. It would finally be true, and I could stop this terrible search for what I know ultimately won’t fulfill me.”

Everyone laughed at what Carrey said, and with nearly five million views on YouTube, people are still laughing. But the source of his humor is the truth it conceals: He was joking about the absurdity of trying to find ultimate fulfillment, purpose, and meaning in the things of this world.

You can watch the video clip here.

 

APPLICATION

Even the wealthiest, most successful people cannot find ultimate satisfaction apart from God. 

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 4:10, ESV).

"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands" (Psalm 138:8, ESV).

Outrage Unfolds Over 'Un-homeless' Homeless Man

Compassion Disillusionment Cynicism

Source: "Man given boots by NYPD officer: Street life ‘my choice’" By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News, The Lookout, Sun, Dec 9, 2012

Link to Source: Click here to view source

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2012-12-12

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:17

Author: Illustration Exchange
4

ILLUSTRATION

Officer Lawrence DePrimo of the NYPD made national headlines and received an official award of commendation from the New York City Police Department back in November ('12) for buying a pair of socks and boots for a homeless man. The whole thing was caught on camera by an out-of-town tourist whose pictures became a viral internet sensation. All around the country, hearts were warmed and stirred to similar acts of kindness and compassion.

But all that generosity of spirit seems to be coming to a grinding halt, replaced instead by disillusionment, cynicism and even anger. A few days after being gifted the boots, the "homeless" man was spotted back on the street, barefoot again (says he put the boots away for safe keeping!). And to make matters worse, it seems he isn't really homeless at all!

The Daily News reported the man people assumed was homeless ... has a Bronx apartment paid for via a combination of rent vouchers, Social Security and military veteran benefits. Now Jeffrey Tillman--the 54-year-old man at the center of this ... story--says that despite access to federally subsidized shelter, it's his choice to wander the streets.

What's more, he is an estranged father of two with lots of family and friends who care about him.

His family and various city organizations have tried for years to help him, but he's turned them all down.

"We love our brother very much," Kirk Hillman said. "Our door is always open to him, but this is a lifestyle he's chosen."

Response to the new revelations has been varied. One commenter thinks enough is enough and we should find a way to "deal accordingly" with those who make a "public nuisance" of themselves: "Everyone deserves a second chance but after a while people should be considered nuisances and should be removed from the streets and dealt with accordingly."

Another expresses what "dealing with them accordingly" might look like, with an oblique reference to an old sci-fi film in which the human remains of those who were considered a drain on society were turned into food wafers* for consumption by the working masses: "Soylent Green* anyone?" he asks cynically.

Fortunately though, there have been many who have seen beyond the "worthiness" of the recipient of the boots, to heart of the giver.

"The one thing to take away from this is the generosity and kindness of the police officer -definitely one of New York's Finest," said one.

"Let me say something, this cop did this out of charity and good will, nothing else! Whether this guy sold the boots for booze or has them hid means NOTHING! When you give a gift, you do so with the idea that the gift is their's, they can do with it as they want to. The cop's karma has been increased because of this, no matter what any of you say. How many of you have helped someone lately? Even in your own family??? However the media wants to spin this story, the cop did right, and has earned my respect," said another.

APPLICATION

Christ knew full well what most of us would do with the gift that cost him everything to give. We set it aside and live "outside" of a life of productive, accountable discipleship. But He gave anyway!

Don't let cynicism and disillusionment rob you of the joy of giving!

"... God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:17).

No More Moon In My Sky

Meaning of Life Awe Disillusionment

Source: “If I Really Believe, Why Do I Have These Doubts?” By Lynn Anderson, p. 176

Link to Source: Click here to view source

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2012-07-24

Scripture: Isaiah 53:1

Author: Dr. Lynn Anderson
1

ILLUSTRATION

Dr. Lynn Anderson, in his book If I Really Believe, Why Do I Have These Doubts? recounts a story told him by his journalist friend, Juan Monroy:

Years back, my friend Juan Monroy, a Christian journalist in Madrid, Spain, was among those reporters selected by the Spanish government to interview the American astronaut James Irwin, who was on a European tour after his Apollo 15 mission to the moon. Monroy asked the astronaut, "What did you feel when you stepped out of that capsule and your feet touched the surface of the moon?"

To Monroy's utter surprise, Irwin replied, "It was one of the most profoundly disillusioning moments of my life."
 
Monroy pressed the astronaut: "How could standing on the moon be so disappointing?"
 
Irwin explained, "All of my life I have been enchanted by the romance and the mystery of the moon. I sang love songs under the moon. I read poems by moonstruck poets. I embraced my lover in the moonlight. I looked up in wonder at the lunar sphere. But that day when I stepped from the capsule onto the lunar surface and reached down at my feet, I came up with nothing but two handfuls of gray dirt. I cannot describe the loss I felt as the romance and mystery were stripped away. There will be no more moon in my sky!”

Dr. Lynn Anderson has been in ministry for over thirty-five years and currently serves as president of Hope Network, a ministry dedicated to coaching, mentoring, and equipping spiritual leaders.

APPLICATION

It would seem that Irwin lost his “awe.” The dusty, gray, barren surface of the moon just didn’t live up to his romantic expectations.

For those of us who are not jetting to the moon and back, life can be oh-so-ordinary. Our relationships with both God and man can feel bland and routine—unromantic.

Yet God loves the ordinary. He lives in the ordinary. In fact, He became an ordinary man just so he could relate to us ordinary folks. By doing so, He has infused the ordinary with mystery and romance.

Keep the moon in your sky! Don’t let the routine of your life and relationships disillusion your vision of their true value and beauty.

“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:1-5).

Illustration Exchange

Burst Bubbles of Nothingness

Meaning of Life Disillusionment Dreams

Contributed By: Barnett Gushin | Date Posted: 2011-10-01

Author: E. Stanley Jones
2

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Scribbled Prayers

Prayer

Contributed By: Illustration Exchange | Date Posted: 2023-05-29

Scripture: Luke 18:6 ; Romans 8:26

Author: Abe Nelson
4

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Thank God For Spiritual Spring!

Poetry Renewal

Contributed By: Neal Pollard | Date Posted: 2023-05-11

Scripture: Lamentations 3:22 ; 2 Corinthians 4:16

Author: Neal Pollard
0

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The Godly Mother

Motherhood

Contributed By: Chris Huff | Date Posted: 2022-05-20

Scripture: Matthew 23:37 ; Luke 23:34

Author: Chris Huff
3

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We Cannot Control Our Enemy

Preparation Enemies

Contributed By: Thomas Bevers | Date Posted: 2020-10-22

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10 ; Psalms 23:4

Author: Homer Adams
4

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What's Your Favorite Pair Of Shoes?

Christlikeness

Contributed By: Neal Pollard | Date Posted: 2020-03-08

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21 ; 1 Corinthians 11:1

Author: Neal Pollard
1

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The World Celebrated A Full Tomb

Resurrection Easter

Contributed By: Howard Harden | Date Posted: 2019-10-06

Author: Howard Harden
18

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