It's Just A Game

I think one of the hardest things about transformation is the letting go of the world that you have to do.  Those darn verses like Matthew 6:24 - "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - yeah, I tried really, really hard to prove those wrong. I loved my stuff, and I wanted more of it. At some point a few years ago, I actually sat down and wrote a list of all the things I wanted to have by the end of the following year. Things like a DSLR camera, a new couch, etc. I honestly thought if I could just get the things on that one list, then I'd be happy and that would be enough and I would stop wanting more. But of course it's never enough. And it's true, you can't serve God and money (aka possessions). You will get comfortable and secure in your own ability to get stuff, or you will be discontent and bitter and resentful because you can't get the stuff, or you will become obsessed and distracted by all the stuff. And God really cannot be Lord and King when you're in those places.

In one of my must-read books (Seven, I'm pretty sure) the author talks about consumerism as a machine, how advertising and media have invested billions in making us believe we need this and want that and have to have the other.  But what if we all just unplugged from the machine? Objectively, when you look at it on the whole, you know it's an illusion, right? I could redecorate my house and overhaul my wardrobe every year to keep up with the trends, make all the crafts on Pinterest, throw the best parties, and buy the latest gadgets, and where would it get me?  Exhausted, empty, and out a whole bunch of cash.  Who exactly decided this stuff was cool, and why do I care?  Not to mention that in a breath, the trends will change and I'll be right back where I started.

I used to think that Ecclesiastes was so depressing - all "life is meaningless" and such - but now I think I'm starting to get it.

All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.

What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
...
I have seen everything that is done under the sun,
and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.  Ecc. 1:8-10, 14

Don't you feel that, at least sometimes?  This world cannot offer us anything of lasting value.  Not one thing.  So what if we all decide we aren't going to buy in anymore?  What if we said, "This is what God has blessed me with, and it is enough." This salary is enough, this house is enough, this closet of clothes is enough, the kids have enough toys (can I get an AMEN?!).  Maybe it's even too much and we need to downsize in some areas?  With all that freed up time and money and energy spent chasing after the wind, what meaningful things we could do? Sponsor a child? Take a mission trip? Invite your neighbors over for dinner? Observe the Sabbath?? (ouch, log in my eye there)

Sometimes wisdom comes from the funniest of places. I bought some songs for my daughter by a group called Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. (Yeah, I don't get it either.) They're cute little hip hop songs for kids. Anyway, part of their song "Gotta Be Me" goes like this:

Some people think making you feel bad
will make them feel good and that’s just sad,
but no matter what they do or say
it’s just a game and you don’t have to play.

I don't know why, but that song makes me tear up almost every time.  Yes, a kids' rap song makes me emotional.  Probably because I so desperately want my kids to understand that.  But grown-ups, we need the message too.   It IS just a game.  The posturing, the keeping up, the never-ending parade of trinkets and treasures that we want, want, want.. it is not real.  Moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. (Matt. 6:19-21)  But we have something better.  We have the love of Christ, and we all have a purpose in Him, to be salt and light, to make disciples, to pursue holiness and to help the poor and oppressed.  Nothing can destroy or steal those things, and the best possessions money can buy cannot compete with them.

Footnote - It's important for me to clarify, I am not saying we should never enjoy a nice dinner out or buy new clothes or a new couch or whatever.  But there is a very marked difference when you let go of that rope that tethers you to the world.  You don't need it anymore to feel successful or comfortable or valuable.  You can just enjoy things as they come, thank God for them, and go on with your life.  Life is so much better that way!