Just a little bit more….
Posted on August 4, 2007
Filed Under A Geek's Guide to the Scriptures | Leave a Comment
Author’s note: this article was originally sent as an email in July of 2006. Inspired by a conversation I had today I thought that I would dig it back up and put in on the front page.
In keeping with the tradition of most Web site discussion thread participants, allow me to impart some useless information, mainly to describe the setting in which I am writing this article:
location = My Church @ the coffee shop
drink of inspiration=café mocha (of course!)
music listening to=Chris Rice, “Other side of the Radio”
mood=content, more or less
Did I tell you I got a new car? Yesssss! The old, faithful “this-belonged-to-my-mother-in-law-so-don’t-laugh” car went to its inevitable reward: the auction block.
I now own a 2002 Nissan Altima. Whoa, check this out: cold air comes from the vents; and the doors have these little buttons, push them and the windows go up and down. And the radio
it actually stays in the dashboard. Kuel! Speaking of radio, it has this little slot where I can slip in a plastic disk called a “C.D.” and then music comes out. Wow this C. D. thing sounds good. Oh my! The mirror is rattling. Better turn the volume down (that’s some bass!) and I am *not* making that up.
The seats are comfortable, the carpet is clean and there isn’t so much as a spot of rust anywhere. Smooth riding, responsive handling, quick acceleration (2.5 litre engine!). Wow, this is the nicest car I have ever owned.
So, here I go, driving to work: man is this niiiice! I’m stylin’. This is so comfortable, this is so cool, this is living! And look, there’s another Nissan owner, wow and another and another: “hey, bro! Wassup? Lookin’ good!” That was a fellow Nissan owner… yup, we’re a tight knit group.
(then one day) Oh, look, another Altima: Hmmm. His trunk has the number 3.5 on it. Mine only says 2.5.
(shortly after that) Look at that, another Altima, wow, he has a sun roof. I don’t have a sun roof.
(a day or two later) Well, I’ll be, there’s another Altima: sun roof, 3.5, and tinted windows—and leather seats. Gee, I don’t have tinted windows… and I only have cloth seats. LeSigh….
(Some time later) Wow, what’s that? It looks like an Altima, but way cooler! Ah, I see, it’s an Infinity. Why do I suddenly feel like my car is a poor man’s Infinity? (writer slinks away from the stop light, painfully aware of his second class status amongst car owners… gnash, gnash, wimper….)
Then suddenly Whap! Whap! (That would be the sound of the Holy Spirit “smacking me up side the head”). Then I “hear” a “voice” saying, “The Lord gives and Lord takes away.”
Yee-ouch! That sounds ominous. You wouldn’t really do that, would you, Lord? Take my car away?? Actually, that little message wasn’t meant to be a threat so much as a reminder that God’s gifts are perfect. God gave my car to me; therefore I have exactly what I need.
Wow, what in the world happened?? One day, I’m driving along in a 14 year old rusty, no frills, A/C-less, manual everything little econo-box, without any mode of transportation concerns in the world. Then I get something that is a bit better and all of the sudden I come down with a severe case of Cool Car Fever. It was like my Envy-factor went from zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds.
Materialism is an amazing thing. It robs you of thankfulness–and contentment.
What to do? Paul said “I have learned to be content in whatever situation I am in. I know how to live in poverty or prosperity.” (Philippians 4:11,12)
I can sort of understand the struggle to be content in “poverty” (like most Americans have a clue what that is). But I never really thought about the challenge of being content in my “prosperity.” To keep my eyes on Jesus, to keep my joy in Him and my heart in heaven—and to keep an open hand on my stuff (which is actually God’s stuff), whether I have a little or a lot, that’s what it is all about.
I think that it is time to get back on the road to contentment (sounds like a Bob Hope, Bing Crosby movie…). I have exactly what God wants me to have, and that’s a cool feeling. Thanks, God!
Perhaps Chris Rice would have put it this way:
“My car has no moon roof, my car has no bling, no “3.5” and duel exhaust, but fancy cars aren’t my thing…
The seats are not leather, there’s no jack for an MP3, But one thing I know, God gave this car to me.”
… well, perhaps that’s not ~exactly~ the way Chris would put it. But it was fun trying.
GOT 5 MINUTES?
What say we pray for ever deeper contentment for each of us—especially me. Discontentment is a thief. It robs us of the joy we were meant to have in Christ. Gratitude, on the other hand, whoa! That’s cool.
Happy driving!!
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.