Article August 26, 2013 Issue

Childlike trust

Katie Martin

My family lives on an island off the coast of a small New England city. When you’re driving from town back onto the island at sunset, the setting sun shines on the windows of the houses facing west. From a distance these windows, called “fire windows,” make it look as if there are blazing fires inside the houses—minus the smoke. It’s kind of pretty in a magical way, and because none of the locals are fooled by the appearance, we enjoy the views without fearing for anyone’s safety.

There are lots of illusions that help us understand the nature of mortal sense and its trickery. I like recognizing illusions for that reason. However, I also find myself frustrated over problems that seem like realities, and wonder why I can’t claim the same illusive nature about them. Why are they harder to disbelieve? Why can it be so difficult to accept the unreality of what the mortal senses are displaying, and move on? 

Mortal mind (what the Bible calls the “carnal mind” that tries to speak on our behalf; see Romans 8:7) is sneaky that way—trying to convince us that there are mortal illusions and then there are also mortal realities. Perhaps we need to understand that all that the mortal senses portray is illusion, not just those things that are called illusions. It’s spiritual sense, based solely on the supremacy of God, divine Spirit, that gives us the correct information about our lives and our livelihood.

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Childlike trust

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