The Secret

Today I encountered once again, comments about the book The Secret. A bestselling new age self-help book, the "secret" is about the supposed "law of attraction." This is the idea that whatever we desire, the universe will provide. Want wealth? Simply desire it and think positively, and wealth will be "naturally" attracted to us. Similarly, if you have negative thoughts about something, then the universe will send you that. Sadly, some people I once respected (like John Gray of Men Are From Mars, and Neal Donald Walsh) have signed onto this philosophy.

I first encountered this idea through a co-worker. As I sat with him one day, we talked, and he was really convinced that whatever he wanted, he would get. So I punched him. Not hard. But I really did punch him. And I asked, "so, did you want me to punch you?" After sitting there bewildered and half-wondering if he should run, he finally answered, "well, I guess somehow I did."

When there are no set of facts that can disprove a belief, it becomes true only "by definition" and fails to explain the real world. And sadly, when bad things happen to us, followers of this philosophy will be confounded because they have only themselves to blame. Were you raped? Well, you must have wanted to be. It just gets uglier and uglier.

So what's the real secret? For me, the real secret is that we have HOPE. Hope is my favorite word. And the reason for our hope lies in the birth of a boy named Jesus whom we celebrate tonight. I celebrate not because of blind faith or tradition, but because I really believe the testimony and evidence that this birth and this person really lived. And if so, we have all the hope we need.

¹¹

"Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah,¹²¹³ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
¹⁴‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours.’"