There are numerous fantasy situations that are used over and over in literature. One of these is the idea of being granted wishes. Typically, the hero is granted three wishes and the story turns on the unwise choices made by the hero and his or her attempts to make amends. The Fisherman And His Wife, The Monkey’s Paw, and numerous stories about genies in bottles are examples of this genre.
There are even jokes about wishes. Three men are stranded on deserted island and after several weeks they find a magic bottle. Releasing the genie inside they each are offered one wish. The first man wishes to be home with his family. The second man wishes the same. The third man looks around at the now empty island and wishes that his friends would return.
If the concept is treated seriously, there are significant changes a wish could cause.
In the December 31, 2012 Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Billy Graham is presented with a one wish scenario. Billy’s reader asks, “If you could ask God to do just one thing in your life during the coming year, what would it be?”
When one considers what Billy Graham stands for, what he has worked for and what he preaches, the possibilities for his wish is enormous.
Billy constantly states that the only way you can get into heaven is believe Jesus is your personal savior, to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, to believe that Jesus is God made flesh, and to believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. Here is a wonderful opportunity for Billy to underscore what he believes and what he preaches. Billy could wish that every human on Earth would be granted the knowledge listed above so that every human on Earth would have the opportunity to be saved and spend eternity in heaven with God and Jesus.
Perhaps, considering that this is the Christmas season, Billy might decide to ask God to grant the wish that is on the lips of every Christian. Billy could ask God to grant peace on Earth. It is a wondrous thought; the idea that everyone could sleep without fear of being attacked, to laugh and love without anyone trying to take that joy away from them, and to live to old age and watch your children and grandchildren grow into the best adults possible.
Alternately, Billy might take a page out the playbook of Jesus and ask that God heal the sick and the maimed, to prevent all those diseases that kill children before they grow up or cause them to suffer pain and humiliation all their life. Billy could ask God to make everyone well, to regrow lost or damaged limbs, to heal mental illnesses that interfere with joyful lives.
Even if Billy doesn’t wish for something as grand as these possibilities, he could consider Jesus feeding the five thousand and ask God to end hunger and starvation, to make sure that everyone has access to clean water and the food they need.
How marvelous if Billy made one of these wishes. How even more marvelous if God would grant Billy’s wish and transformed the world. He is said to have the power to do anything. Would He do something like this for a person who has worked so hard to bring so many into the Christian fold?
What wonderful wish will Billy made? A lesser person might make a selfish wish, but Billy has made a point of preaching how he serves God, so Billy would certainly make an unselfish wish.
Here is Billy’s wish, in Billy’s words: “If I could ask God to do only one thing in my life, it would be to grow closer to Him during the coming year.”
When I read that, I thought, “What a crock of $&’#!”
Billy shows how vain and self-serving he is in his answer. He could have wished for something that would make billions of lives better but he chose to wish for something that would only make his life better.
Yes, I know, wishes are fantasy. So is prayer. By wishing for peace on Earth or any of the others I mentioned above, Billy could have presented himself as a person who loves humanity and desires the best for everyone. Instead he wishes for an improvement is his own life and to hell with the rest of us.
You can read all of Billy’s answer here.
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