Create Your Reality

Sunday Teaching

Apr 6

The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and this link.

Welcome to the first in a series of articles where we'll explore sayings that, while popular, are things Jesus never said. My motivation for selecting these particular phrases is to shed light on how they might inadvertently lead us away from the true joy of following Jesus by nudging us toward a distorted understanding of our faith.

“CREATE YOUR REALITY”

One phrase we often hear, but Jesus never said, is “Create Your Reality.” Self-help authors and motivational speakers have widely popularized this notion. A quintessential summary of this concept is captured in a quote from Tony Robbins: “Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life.” Let’s unpack this and see how it aligns—or doesn’t—with the teachings we find in the Bible.

STEEL-MAN IT

When steel-manned, "Create your reality" embodies self-empowerment and personal responsibility. It’s a rallying cry for those seeking to overcome limitations, suggesting you can significantly influence your life's direction and quality with the right mindset, resilience, and actions. It's an invitation not just to sit back and let life happen to you but to actively mold your life in a way that rings true to your deepest desires. It’s the ultimate cheer for taking control of your life through positive thinking.

At age 45, tipping the scales at 243 pounds, I stood in front of the gym mirror to begin a health journey. And creating my reality was at the forefront of my mind! It was a pivotal moment. I put in my headphones and pressed play on my iPhone, and the phat guitar started pumping in my ears as the artist asked, "Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity / To seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment / Would you capture it, or just let it slip?" These opening lines set the stage for a transformative two-year journey to 179 pounds.

"You better lose yourself in the music
The moment, you own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”

It felt like Eminem was speaking directly to me, urging me not to let this moment slip away. The intensity of his words mirrored the intensity of my resolve to create a new, healthy reality for myself. At that moment, I knew the journey ahead would be arduous. Still, the empowerment I felt from the music and those opening lyrics galvanized my will to press forward, to seize this opportunity to reinvent myself.

Creating your reality is a powerful notion through which you can use positive thinking to motivate action in your life to:

Shift your focus to your strengths, transforming your self-image and propelling your career and relationships forward with newfound confidence.
Mitigate your social anxiety with positive visualization and meditation.
Achieve financial independence by embracing a mindset of contentment and abundance, leading to educated financial decisions.
Overcome grief by being thankful for what you had and lost and envisioning a future filled with new relationships and joy.

“Create your reality” is the pinnacle of self-empowerment and taking charge of your path. Picture it as your battle cry against the constraints of the mundane. It's an invitation to shatter the shackles of passivity, to mold your life with intention. Imagine transforming “if only” into “what if,” turning your daydreams into your day-to-day. Your mindset, reactions, and the paths you choose are drafting the blueprint of your transformation.

SHORTCOMINGS OF CREATING YOUR REALITY

While “Create your reality” packs an inspirational punch, it tends to gloss over life’s complexities, others abusing their free will, and the sheer randomness of the world. Creating our reality leaves us feeling like we’re in the driver’s seat with complete control over our journey, even when we hit the bumpy roads of our imperfect world. But here’s the catch: when we run into those inevitable roadblocks or our dreams seem just out of reach, this mindset can lead to disillusionment, anger, or even self-blame. It’s tough, really tough, when we’re led to believe that a sprinkle of positive thinking and a little motivation is all it takes to:

Succeed as an artist but hit the hard wall of an oversaturated market.
Heal our chronic illness, even when health challenges stubbornly persist.
Repair a strained relationship when it takes two to tango.
Get straight A's without hitting the books.
Start a long-lasting career in the print newspaper business.

From a self-help perspective, "Create your reality" sounds empowering, sure, but it doesn't prepare us for those moments when, despite our best efforts, things don't pan out. It's like being promised the moon and given a ladder to reach it. While the notion champions a proactive approach to life, it also underemphasizes how much life and circumstances are beyond our control.

The main problem with this mantra is its deep-rooted focus on self and the material or personal achievements that the world often sees as success. This self-centered approach can easily eclipse God's much broader and more profound work. Without realizing it, we might end up placing our wants and successes above the collective and spiritual growth at the heart of God's kingdom.

Philippians 4:8 nudges us in the right direction, saying, “…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” We are called to ground our thought patterns in the reality of God's kingdom. This scripture urges us to filter our aspirations and perceptions through God's truth and sovereignty, grounding our positivity in His Kingdom rather than our interests.

THE CHRISTIAN PARTICIPATES IN REALITY

The Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23): The rich young ruler lived in a false reality where wealth and adherence to religious laws constituted righteousness. When Jesus invited him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him—challenging him to embrace a kingdom reality centered on sacrificial love and spiritual wealth—he couldn't do it. His attachment to his wealth showed a preference for a human-made reality over the life-changing reality Jesus offered.

Pharisees and Teachers of the Law (Matthew 23, Mark 7:1-13): Throughout His ministry, Jesus frequently encountered religious leaders who created a false reality where external adherence to ritual and law was more important than the heart's condition, directly opposing the reality of forgiveness and personal holiness that Jesus preached.

The Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4:1-26): The woman at the well lived in a cultural reality shaped by social and moral expectations of her time, which Jesus challenged by simply engaging with her. Jesus invited her into His Kingdom reality through their conversation—where living water and eternal life were offered regardless of her past or social standing. Her initial resistance illustrates the struggle to escape a human-made reality into the one Jesus offers.

Judas Iscariot's Betrayal (Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:3-6, John 13:2, 27-30): Judas Iscariot's decision to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver represents a stark immersion into a reality governed by self-interest and disillusionment, rather than the kingdom principles Jesus lived and taught. His actions reflect a departure from the relational and spiritual reality offered by Jesus, choosing instead a path defined by material gain and tragic misunderstandings of Jesus' mission.

Philippians 4:8 helps us balance positive thinking, acceptance of life’s complexities, and selfish desires. For followers of Jesus, the emphasis isn't on created realities like accumulating personal wealth, status, or comfort but on engaging in God's ongoing work in the world. It's a call to align our efforts with the values of God’s kingdom rather than constructing a reality based solely on individual desires.

TAKEAWAYS

The invitation is to actively participate in God's unveiling of a reality where the last are first, the meek inherit the earth, and love is the law. This doesn't negate the importance of personal goals or diminish the value of individual contribution. Instead, it places these personal ambitions in the context of God's larger narrative, emphasizing that our ultimate purpose is found not in creating a human-made reality that serves ourselves but in contributing to the reality that reflects the heart of Jesus. Personal fulfillment is found not in what we amass for ourselves but in how we participate in God's redemptive work.

Positive thinking is not about denying reality or retreating into a self-made bubble. It’s about anchoring our reality in God’s kingdom. The Christian mindset isn’t just about slapping a happy sticker on everything and calling it a day. It's deeper, rooted in God's sovereignty and unshakeable character. It's more like focusing on the sun even when clouds are in the way because we know it's still shining up there.

The Bible nudges us to look beyond the mess before us and into the message that God’s love is constant and His power is at work in us. It’s about letting Christ’s peace rule our hearts (Colossians 3:15), turning us into lighthouses of hope in a stormy world. We don’t ignore the tough stuff. Instead, we trust God and paint the world with bright colors from our faith in Jesus.

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