I am quite disturbed by a trend I have noticed among many people my age (20-30) or even older. It seems that we oftentimes feel we must have what our parents have – house, new cars, boat, etc. – immediately. We fail to realize that our parents have worked a lifetime for their belongings, but we have just begun. Thus, we see more people being irresponsible with their money and time.
I propose that this is the direct result of a combination of two main things. First, marketing is geared to make us feel that we need MORE. Think about commercials, billboards, magazines, etc. that you have heard or seen lately. Behind the glitz and glamour is the sometimes subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) message, “You need more!”
Secondly, we have failed to listen to the voice of Scripture which teaches a contrary message to the above. Scripture repeatedly admonishes, “Be content with what you have.” Hebrews 13.5 states (TNIV), “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” We focus so much on the love of money part, but I rarely hear a focus on being content with what you have. The passage does not say, “If you have all of your needs met, be content with what you have.” Or “If you own your home and you have a good job, then be content with what you have.” This passage just urges us to be content with whatever it is that we have, whether lack or abundance.
Don’t get me wrong – I think planning a future is vital in order for a family to thrive. What I am concerned about here is this commercially-driven attitude that if I do not have the latest and greatest, then I need more. This is an attitude that places possessions and economic security above devotion to Christ. This is the attitude of the rich man in Mark 10 who was not willing to give up everything he had for his Savior.
I do not want to wake up one morning and find that I have turned into that man. Instead, I want to be like Paul, who says in Philippians 4:12-13 (TNIV), “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” And, Paul backed up this claim with a life containing many trials, where he was imprisoned and martyred for Christ.
So, I pray that we will learn to live the simple life — a life unhindered by the drive of always needing more to be content. My question to us all is how do we do this? What steps have you taken to ensure that your family recognizes that serving Christ is always more important than financial security? What should this look like, not only in our families, but in our church community?
Blessings,
Dee
