Monday, June 06, 2005

Chasing the Wind

I remember when I first got my car. It was bright, new, and extremely shiny. After a couple of weeks of driving, my car became dirty and a I constantly found myself wanting to keep it clean so that I would look good in it. Soon, just keeping it clean wasn't enough. I wanted to buy some performance parts so that my car would be faster than other cars. I didn't want to stop there though; I wanted to paint my car and do anything I could so that my car would be the coolest. The time came when I had to decide whether or not I was going to be happy with my car, or spend a lot of money in order to purchase the parts that I felt would make me happy.

Fortunately, I made the decision that I wasn't going to buy the performance parts because I knew there were better things to put my money towards. There was a good chance that, if I would have chosen to buy the parts and extra things that I wanted, I would have ended up in debt and unable to live without financial help.

The urge to be better than everyone else, or to have more than they do, is a normal thing. We all want to feel a part of something, and many times we try our best to get things that make us feel more important. The problem occurs when we spend more money than we earn, and we put our self-worth into what we buy. I know that if I were to have bought those performance parts and all the extra things, that I would have ended up putting a lot of my self-worth into my car, and ultimitely putting God on the back burner.

Ecclesiastes 4:4 says, "I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." The author of Ecclesiastes is showing us that wanting to achieve and obtain more than our neighbor is as meaningless as chasing the wind. No matter how fast we run, no matter how much we obtain or have, we'll never catch the wind and we'll never have "enough". Today, instead of thinking about all the things that you want, think about all the things God has given you. Praise Him for providing you with what you have. You will find that this type of contentment is exactly what God wants us to have.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

that was def. what i needed! they help keep me going! thanx!

Anonymous said...

Well said, COB! I love reading your blogs every day...they help keep my perspective where it needs to be! :o) Keep it up!! You have a gift, my friend!

Anonymous said...

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
-Matthew 6:19-20

Thats what this post reminds me of. I always have to keep in mind that all the things I own here won't mean a thing when I get to heaven.