Less is more

Why are we always unsatisfied? We, well maybe just me, are always unhappy with our lives. We want a better girlfriend/boyfriend, we want better pay, a better car, a better relationship with God, a better house, and the list goes on. I blame this on our culture. Our culture, and this is the understatement of the century, is quite materialistic. When did the American dream turn from work hard and you can have a good life to make as much money as possible so you can buy everything you want thus ensuring happiness? This attitude has spread into religion as well. People say things like, " I want to have a deeper relationship with God. I want more out of my spiritual life. I want more of Jesus and less of me." Now these statements sound awesome, very spiritual, but are actually as vapid and superficial as a Rob Schneider movie. It sounds good to say I want more of God, but is it even possible? How much of God is enough? How can you tell if you need more God? I heard some one say the other day that a relationship should come to an end if the relationship doesn’t have the relationship with God as the primary focus. These sort of statements are thrown around all the time and sounds Christiany but are devoid of serious meaning. It’s a Christian catch phrase that you'd expect to hear at youth group when they’re talking about the "dangers" of premarital sex.

We are supposed to strive after God, to pursue God, but shouldn't contentment with where we are in our relationship with God also be a good thing? Isn’t there such thing as contentment with godliness? I understand we need to pursue God, but we should also be happy where we are with him. I'm not talking about complacency in our spiritual journey, but when we are constantly talking about pursuing God and wanting more it creates in us a profound dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction is dangerous because we may never get to the levels of spirituality that we struggle to attain, and if we do not arrive at the destination we pursued disappointment can set in. Being disappointed is equally dangerous because disappointment comes from unmet expectations, and if that disappointment becomes rooted in our hearts it can grow into a cancerous bitterness and cynicism which, like cancer, is difficult and painful to treat and remove. We hear stories of saints and giants of our faith who met with God in powerful ways and we aspire to that. The problem is that’s the reason why they are saints or giants of our faith because they met with God in powerful way that most of us will never experience. Most of those people gave up everything and devoted their lives completely to God. For example St. Francis gave up wealth and comfort to embrace a life of poverty and ministry to the sick and the poor. Because of that complete devotion he had powerful experiences with God. Most of us will never get to that place because most of us cannot give up our lives to that degree. Many of us are too selfish to take an extra step that may remove us from where we are comfortable even though taking that step may mean we might have powerful life changing encounters with God.

Unmet expectations is also a major reason why many Christians are dissatisfied with their spiritual journey. Many have heard all their lives to pursue God, to want more of God, to keep pushing in their spiritual walk, but they are rarely taught to enjoy where they are at the moment. People may hear wonderful stories or powerful testimonies of God coming through in the clutch with blessings or healings or encounters. Some of us yearn and hope and expect these things to happen, and if they don’t happen we begin to wonder if there was something wrong with us and may even get to the place where we question God’s love for us. I'm not saying that we should be devoid of spiritual passion or desire-less, we should yearn for more because like Ecclesiaties says God has placed eternity on our hearts. What I'm trying to get across is that we need to stop sometimes, look around, smell the flowers, and be content where we are because God may hold us at certain places in our lives so he can develop something in us, and if we are always trying to keep pushing we may miss good opportunities that are divinely appointed.

Bumper-sticker faith

The bumper sticker read, "Try Jesus." The sticker was on the back of a minivan, a Grand Voyager to be specific. Looking at that bumper sticker got me thinking about just that, trying Jesus.

When I was a kid, Pepsico started the Pepsi Challenge. Booths would be set up all over America and people would be allowed to choose their favorite beverage, Coke or Pepsi. The twist was people were blindfolded while sipping their Pepsi and Coke samples. I guess Pepsico thought if people were blindfolded they would use their taste buds and realize how much better Pepsi was than Coke. I choose Coke, unfortunately for Pepsi so did 200 million other Americans because Coke is the superior beverage. The point is the people could try Coke and Pepsi and decide which one they preferred. In America today we have the unparalleled ability to choose anything. Need a fridge? Go to an appliance warehouse. Need a car? Choose from dozens of makes and models at the nearest local dealership. Want a Coke? Choose from 8 different kinds. We can choose anything based on our preferences. The problem is out preferences are always changing daily. One day I want cool ranch Doritos. The next day I may want nacho cheese Doritos. This attitude makes the slogan, "Try Jesus" a very dangerous one.

See faith is supposed to be something that affects the way we live. I heard someone say, If what we believe doesn’t change who we are and what we do, then what good is it what we believe?" It is something that requires our attention and our energy. One cannot just try Jesus. There is no Jesus taste test challenge. He isn’t a free sample at Costco or Wegmans. We who name ourselves his followers have done us and the world a disservice. We say that if one just tries Jesus then they will gain immediate, eternal, sunshiney, feel good happiness. All your problems will just go away. Unfortunately this isn’t true and we are guilty of peddling this instead of teaching people how to be his disciples.

Jesus is not Prozac. He is not a drug we take when we are depressed to make us feel better. He came to reconcile fallen humanity to God, not reduce his life to bite sized sermon bits. He came to teach us a revolutionary way of life. He taught us that the kingdom of God is present here and now, and that if we believe in him we can be a part of this kingdom. Not only can we live in his kingdom but we can share it with others. Jesus never said, " Try me." He didn’t say to dabble in his teachings and pull out ones that will make a nice secular philosophy. He said things like, "The kingdom of God is within you." and "Take up your cross and follow me." That means work. That means putting forth an effort. That means we are to be devoted to his teachings, follow them, and show others how to do the same. That means a lifetime of practice and discipleship.

Presently we have relationships without commitment, intimacy without love, and a faith devoid of power to change our world if we continue to take the life and teachings of how to be his disciple and advance the kingdom of God into snack portioned, sugar coated pills which read, "Try Jesus." He died to show us the way to God, he lives to help us get there. We need to take it a bit more seriously.