There have been many times when I wished to have my childish things back. Let's face it, childhood was more fun. There were scrapes, set-tos and setbacks, but I had a safe-haven refuge: my fantasy world.
Being an only child, I learned early to entertain myself. The area behind the big chair in the living room was my domain. In it, the world was mine. I could be a king, a president, a general, a cowboy or an Indian as my fancy of the moment decreed. When things didn't go to suit me (chores, school, neighborhood bullies, etc.) I could always return to my fantasy world where I was in charge.
When I became a man, I was supposed to put away childish things. Actually, reality came at me so fast that there was less and less time or opportunity to retreat into fantasy.
A few years ago, there was a popular song that started off "I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden." In his book "Season With the Savior," Edward Sims writes "Relief does come. Jesus never promised us a rose garden. But He takes us into one once in a while."
This is Jesus' way of providing moments of relief.
His disciples, Peter and James and John, lived in the real world, ruled politically by the Romans and spiritually by the Pharisees -- neither was very much fun. Then Jesus came and asked them to follow him. They did, but the harsh realities of life intensified as hostility to Jesus' mission grew.
As Sims said, he never promised them a rose garden, but he let them visit one once in a while. In Mark 9:1-10, we learn that Jesus took his disciples up into a mountain to witness a miraculous transformation. As they watched, a glow came over the Savior and He was suddenly accompanied by Moses and Elias, indicating that the law and the prophets were fulfilled in Jesus.
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