A Culture of Greed

This idea has been ruminating in my mind for awhile. Today watching a television commercial with my 3 year old I am reminded to explore it some more.

The commercial featured a girl with beautiful long wavy hair. She was dreaming she was a rock star, dancing about on a stage, waving her long locks. Then the commercial promised rock star hair with this certain shampoo product in a purple bottle. Grace was a little mesmerized with the commercial and then demanded to be a rock star. She was even able to articulate that if she put the purple stuff in her hair she'd be a rock star. Wow! Advertising does work. She was a little upset when I told her we wouldn't be purchasing the 'purple stuff'.

Why do we 'lust' and crave so much stuff? We live in a culture of greed and want. Advertisements, the 'American dream', even our government encourage us to buy and spend and want and strive for a 'better' life being a consumer. I've been to cultures where this is not prominent. People aren't concerned about having the newest and the best. Are these people lacking? Actually, in my experience, they seem more content. In these places more 'real' concerns are to be worried about, housing, pay checks, food, a fallen government, violence, to name a few.

Can you imagine, we live in a place where for the most part we are well dressed, well fed, sheltered, and relatively safe on a day to day basis with a functioning government. Yet, we are still unhappy people. Probably because we don't see what we do have because we're too busy looking at things we don't have. We don't appreciate our current wardrobe because the clothes in the store are so much more trendy and well, we all need to fit in with the style of the hour. What about our home? (I'm all for having a cozy, functioning, beautiful home.) How much stuff do we bring into it trying to make our days easier, more beautiful and cozier with those 'cheap fixes' and mass produced items. Six months later there's no emotional attachment or purpose, and well, really it sits there now ugly, taking up space and needs to be replaced. Ok, I'm being kinda extreme here, but only to make my point.

What if we lived in a culture of gratitude? What if there was no one telling us we were lacking in any way, no commercials promising rock star status or underarm deodorant promising true love? What if we were thankful for what we have and really considered every craving or desire and evaluated thoroughly why we want it or feel we need it.

Isn't the Christian culture supposed to be a place of gratitude? Does not Jesus remind us not to worry about what we'll wear? I'm pretty amazed at how this 'gratitude' theme is spreading throughout north American Christendom. I have a few friends now tell/write that they are being more thankful. Also, Ann at Holy Experience and her Gratitude Community. What will happen if gratitude flowed through us and we pointed to God for blessings in our lives? What if we stopped craving/lusting after silly things and focused our attentions on 'real' matters such as poverty, the countless children and women who are sold into sex slavery, or the boys who are forced to be warriors, or....well you get my point. Who is wanting to redirect our attention from God and His people, and the blessings and the potential blessing we can be in this world? Only the evil one, and those who stand to make a profit from our 'wanting'.

First step, be a person of gratitude. Instead of saying 'I want..." saying "I have...I am so thankful!" I'm sure I'll then have more time and energy and money to help those in real need.

Ah, but this is counter cultural, and it is going to be difficult. Spirit lead me.

Choosing Joy

“Gratitude is truly my life preserver. Even in the most turbulent waters, choosing gratitude rescues me from myself and my runaway emotions. It buoys me on the grace of God and keeps me from drowning in what otherwise would be my natural bent toward doubt, negativity, discouragement, and anxiety. Over time, choosing gratitude means choosing joy…” – Nancy Leigh Demoss...thanks for posting this Claire, I needed it close by so I had to share it here too!

This quote rings true. Runaway emotions, yes this is me. Gratitude, gets me back on track. I am less focused on the difficulties of life, which only drain me. Instead, I am free to focus on the good, the hopeful, the joyful, the grace of God. I am refocused, because life is good. Why? Because God meets us here. His love encompasses us in the small and seemingly insignificant and in the large obvious ways. In obstacles, he is there. Mostly gratitude gives me perspective on life. Takes me out of my lust, self focus, and pity parties and brings me to a place of, well, JOY. The word is so fitting.

And so I am yet reminded by my little one's who teach me daily about God's grace and joy in my life. Because it is in the grace of God we cling and in such find much joy. I love you girls.

My Lenten Journey

It's a discipline I have tried to keep with.
It's a discipline that gives me joy and peace and perspective.
However, it always becomes last priority.
For Lent I will focus on being thankful. First and foremost for Jesus and all he's done for me.

I've been reading "Sex God" by Rob Bell and chapter 4 has been instrumental in why I know I need to focus more on gratitude. The chapter is about Lust. He looks at lust in a broad sense not just sexual. He talks in more of wants and desires, and cravings. It comes from not being content with our present situation, for me, that's mainly because of the 'if' factor. "The if means we have become attached to the idea that we are missing something" page73. Really, I love my life, and any lust is really lieing to me, that life could be better. "Until we can centre ourselves on what we do have, on what God has given us, on the life we get to live, we'll constantly be looking for another life." (74). He goes onto say that that's why God commands us to remember who we are in Christ. "If we stop remembering, we might forget." Too often in my day I forget who I am. Then as Paul, I do what I do not want to do, and I feel dissatisfied.

Bell quotes 1 Co 6:12 "I have the right to do anything - but I will not be mastered by anything."

"If I want something to the point that I can't conceive of being content without it, then it owns me....Freedom is going without whatever we crave and being fine with it" (75). This is my journey, to discover what has a hold of me. To experience freedom from these lies.

I am replacing any 'cravings' or 'wantings' with gratitude. Also to think on good desires, such as the fruits of the spirit.

"Be at rest one more, O my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you." Psalm 116:7