Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Acts 13:11, “’And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.’ Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.”
Background
Cary Grant was the definitive leading man in movies during much of the golden age of Hollywood. Few have achieved the status and acclaim that he enjoyed, much a result of his irresistible charm, wit, and grace expressed through his characters. Born Archibald Alec Leach, he came from modest means and a less than happy family. When he was nine, his father put his mother in an insane asylum, telling young Archibald that she had gone away on a long holiday. Eventually his father declared to him that she was dead. Not until he was a famous star some twenty years later did he learn that she was alive and being held in an institution, from which he promptly rescued her.
In his early fifties, Grant began experimenting with the then mostly-unknown LSD therapy during his psychoanalysis sessions. He was trying to uncover why he had always been so unsuccessful in relationships (at that point on his third of five wives). After a couple years, Grant stated that the treatment helped him find peace of mind and true, deep, honest happiness. Much later, Grant declared that the treatment was foolish, but “I was a self-opinionated boor, hiding all kinds of layers and defenses, hypocrisy and vanity. I had to get rid of them and wipe the slate clean.”
Application
We’ll have to take Grant’s word for it regarding his shortcomings, but we can absolutely relate to the need to get rid of our old self and “wipe the slate clean.” Unfortunately for Grant, his blindness was not met with the message of the gospel. Being kept in darkness, he was unable to see the Son. While he found temporary solace in accepting responsibility for his own condition, he never tasted the forgiveness and rebirth that comes from having Jesus wipe your slate clean. Psychiatrists and chemicals led him by the hand, but their path did not set him free. Unfortunately, our path of freedom can feel more like shackles than wings when Jesus loses His place within us. But freedom misplaced is not freedom lost. He still can do what only He can do, and He’ll do it for you again if you desire it of Him.
Charge
As we seek Him today, trade in your weights for the yoke that is easy and the burden that is light. There you will know true, deep, honest happiness.
