The Red Pill

Neo

"Why do my eyes hurt?"

Morpheus

"You've never used them before. Rest, Neo. The answers are coming."

Matrix

We all demonstrate faith in our lives. Every day we are given circumstances where we must demonstrate faith in some way. For instance, when we sit down on a chair we do so because we have faith that it will support our weight. The main question we have to answer is not whether we have faith, but what we have faith in?

Neo had to trust Morpheus. He had to trust that he was telling him the truth and could provide the answers to his questions. Had he not taken a step of faith in trusting Morpheus he would never have learned the truth and experienced "the real." Because of the faith he demonstrated his life changed completely. The impossible became possible and the unthinkable became thinkable.

In regard to our spiritual pursuit, when a person puts his faith in God he opens the door to possibility and providence. If we can for a moment believe there is more to this world and place our faith in a God who saves we open up our hearts to receive the greatest of gifts.

Hellen Keller writes of her hunger to learn after having discovered the gift of language: "I left the well-house eager to learn. Everything had a name, and each name gave birth to a new thought. As we returned to the house every object which I touched seemed to quiver with life. That was because I saw everything with the strange, new sight that had come to me."

But before we can have this new sight given to us we must take the red pill. Remember Morpheus words, "… no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself."

We have to make a choice, similar to the one that Morpheus gave Neo when he shows him two pills and tells him: "You can take the blue pill … the story ends and you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to. You take the red pill and find out how deep this rabbit hole goes."

When we choose the red pill we have to be willing to let go of our old life. We must risk all to see reality. When we can empty ourselves of all that stands in the way of faith we can boldly go to where the truth is found.

Soon after Neo takes the red pill he is baptized into reality. He is born again. This time having been unplugged from the Matrix. The answers are soon to follow.

For us the journey to the source (God) costs the same price. We are also given two choices. One leads to ignorance and the other to truth. The red pill and the blue pill that is offered to us in our spiritual voyage is the choice to believe and trust in the One or to reject the truth and pretend that He does not exist.

We cannot see reality until we take the red pill. For us the red pill equates to believing in Jesus and what he did on the cross and trusting him with our life (welcoming him in our inner man). We can do this by saying to Him, "I believe you have forgiven me of all my sins (wrongs) ... I trust you with my life ... reveal yourself to me."

Neo literally means "new." When we take the plunge and say this prayer or statement we begin the journey to truth and we see things in a new way. Everything becomes new because the One who makes all things new has touched us. The eyes of our soul and spirit are opened wide to take in what had been hidden. Yet, it may be a lot of information to take in and it may take time for this new found sight to adjust to the light of reality.

"You cannot take a hold of this gift – the Son of God – with your hand. The Son of God cannot be contained in a jar. He is only grasped with the heart and by faith. When this gift comes into your heart, when you believe in Christ with your whole heart, then you won’t be the same person. Even if you once were a thief, an adulterer, or a murderer, you will become a new person, for you have the Light in your heart." – Martin Luther