Today more so than any other time in history we are living vicariously through the lives of others.  We watch “The Bachelor”, “Bachelorette”, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”, “Jersey Shore”, “The Real World”, “The Amazing Race”, “Real Housewives of Atlanta, (Orange County, or any other town)”, “Project Runway”, “Basketball Wives”, “The Last Alaskan Frontier”, “Ghost Hunters”, “Deadliest Catch”, “Dirty Jobs”, “Pimp My Ride”, “Miami Ink”, “LA Ink”, “Top Chef Masters”, “Biggest Loser”, “Cake Boss”, “Storm Chasers”, “Top Chef”, “Ice Road Truckers”, “Survivor”,and my favorite “Duck Dynasty”.  It goes on and on.  You name it, there is a reality show for what interests you.

We don’t have to live any of these shows personally because we can watch the show on TV and subconsciously put ourselves in these shows, never experiencing it ourselves.  I came across a passage of scripture that communicates this very lifestyle experience.  In John 4, John writes, “Many of the Samaritans from the town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. . . .They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the World.” (John 4:39-42NIV)

They believed vicariously because of the experience of the Samaritan woman but hadn’t heard it themselves.  When they “came to him” and began to hear it for themselves, they no longer believed because of the woman because they “Heard for ourselves.”    Sometimes we can experience this same situation going on in present day Christendom.  We hear what others are saying about Jesus in church and on TV or on the radio, but we are not opening up the scriptures ourselves to hear personally from the Lord himself.  Rather than taking ownership for personal interaction with the Lord, we are seeking to live vicariously through others who have experienced the Lord as in the case of the Samaritan woman.  The people of Samaria needed to go and hear from the Lord which brought transformation to their lives because they were owning what they were hearing.

Today on our journey isn’t it time that we get up off our reality couches and get in touch with the One who can bring transformation to our attitudes, actions and relationships. It starts by opening up the bible and beginning to hear directly from the Lord as the Samaritans did.  Enjoy your own personal journey