There are movie dragons, but even more cruel and destructive are the dragons in the world around us. Lies are the heart of the dragon. The ingenious use of appearance can confound even the most discerning. The little truth which hides the bigger lie behind it becomes a shelter for the deceitful and the downfall of the gullible. Who isn’t gullible in this day and age in which deceit is wielded with such craft that even the cagy entrepreneur is taken by the white collar criminals who are finding new lies or creative ways to update old lies to make wealth seem imminent when it is really slipping from your grasp.

Public media is used as a favorite fishing (phishing) place where the deceitful angler baits his hook. “Hi. How are you? Have you heard?” is a favored Messenger refrain used by someone’s face that hides that it is not that person at all, just a hacked name on your connections list. Get rich schemes are a favorite, but don’t leave out beauty secrets, amazing health cures, weight loss, health diets, instant answers to deep and complicated issues, and spiritual cons among the long list of dragons, found and tamed just for you. All you have to do is have a want that seems beyond your reach, and some person will create a con which fits that desire, an easy, no struggle way to meet the need. There is someone out there who is willing to “take you for a ride,” as the old gangster movies offered.

“Casting off restraints” is a term indicating leaving wisdom and discipline to do things which will probably be devastating when it comes to a conclusion. We see this in the young and sometimes wonder how they live to be adults. Showing off to get acceptance creates opportunities for injuries that far outlast the moment. Peer pressure is the entry drug for all kinds of horrifying actions and addictions. It is the means that introduces the young to smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, and so much more. These things appeal to the wants and desires but don’t have the substance to fulfill. Do we get to any point in life where we, as humans, aren’t vulnerable to some kind of appeal that defies wisdom and discipline?

The real dragon is the undisciplined appetite. It is the hungry grocery shopper who fills their cart with snacks instead of healthy foods. It is the impulse buy that puts you in debt. It is the momentary mental or emotional derangement that excuses doing something which wisdom and discipline would refuse. It is the war humanity fights to find the easy way or comfort instead of the wisdom and discipline which leads to health and well being.

We, as humans, are part of and endure the dragons, but we are also dragon slayers. We are part of God’s solution for others. He has used the broken and infirm to create agencies of help like AA, MADD, and so many more. We grow through fights with the dragons of this world, through God’s grace and intervention, to become tools of healing for others. God knows how to turn a profit because He can turn the worst in us into the best someone else has ever experienced. I give my heartfelt thanks for all those saints who who allowed God to turn their hurts into healing and shared their lives with me.