…….For those of us who have read the Bible, we know that this is no surprise, for the fool continues to build on the sand, whilst those who hear and act build on solid ground…….. [to be continued]
Is anyone ever satisfied today? Does anyone ever have enough? The reality is that most of us in the Western world should be satisfied because we have enough, but the truth is that it is the exact opposite. More wants more, which in turn fuels the demand for the desire for even more.
The Apostle Paul said, ‘I have learnt to be content in every situation’, Wow! Imagine if we were able to say this: advertisers would not know what to do, and clothes shops, make-up, hair and nail salons would be out of business very quickly. Every area of society that depends on each of us wanting more and thus spending our money on such things would be in decline. Imagine new car sales floundering, home improvement companies closing, and many DIY stores finding their huge warehouses virtually empty.
The common denominator here is our old friend, money. Our system demands that we keep spending it to fuel the economy and keep people in jobs, so taxes are paid, which keeps others in jobs and pays for others to do nothing but take. It is an age-old system: I buy your fruit and vegetables, you buy meat from someone else, they buy new shoes from a third party, and the third party buys leather from me.
The money moves around, and all have enough, but today enough is never reached, in fact most people have no idea what enough looks like, because enough has been overtaken by want, jealousy and desire, fueled by credit. Buy now and pay later, what was initially a way for people to be able to afford what they needed, within their financial means, is now a way to fund what we want, with little care for the ability to pay back that credit.
Wake up to the Lie
Even for each of us to have enough, plus a few treats! The economy would continue, but we have been poisoned by advertisers into believing that our lives will be better if we get the ‘new thing’! It is a lie which only goes to fill the pockets of those who can supply us with these ‘new things’, and surprise, surprise, once we have the ‘new thing’, we find it is not what we thought, but there is another ‘new thing’ that will, and so the lie is perpetuated as we strive for the nest ‘new thing’.
The lie that our lives will be more fulfilled if we get the latest ‘new thing’ is perhaps the greatest ill in the western world, because in pursuing it we have sidelined the ‘old thing’, that was present in every society until modern times. The ‘old thing’ is very simply that ‘who we have is much more important than what we have’! We have sacrificed community, sharing, mutual friendships, and just enjoying the presence of others. The pursuit of money to buy things has stolen our time, made us more selfish people and blinkered us to what is important: our relationships.
The 2 greatest commandments are to love God and love others, both terms that are relational because God is relational, he exists in Trinity, and Jesus came that his relationship with us might continue beyond death and into eternity. You see, having enough and being satisfied is not about money and possessions but about relationships.
Every Blessing
John [to be continued even more]
Published in the May 2024 edition of the church magazines