Last week I was bold enough to proclaim that "all my NEEDS are satisfied and that all else are just WANTS." Embarrassing, huh? I mean the implication, that I'm actually hypocritical enough to blast onto the world wide web, is that I am content with just my needs being met. What a joke! My natural state of existence is being in a constant state of restless, irritable, and discontent. I know as much about contentment as I do nuclear fission!
Anyway as soon as I typed those words last, I remembered a story that I heard over twenty years ago. I heard a presentation by a fairly "high-toned" attorney here in the Metroplex. (BTW, attorneys tell the greatest stories and they will always tell on themselves when they are not in a court room). This gentleman spent ten minutes describing his first car purchase after he had signed on with a very prestigious firm in town. He was certain that this car was the key to his happiness. I don't remember the make or model. But it was NOT a random selection for him. He knew the EXACT make, the EXACT model, and the EXACT color, with the EXACT options that would satisfy his desires. And not very long after joining this firm, he bought THE car of his dreams. Happy ending, right? Not so fast. In a kind of somber, yet humorous tone, this attorney explained that less than two weeks later, he was driving to work one morning, in his dream car, and the realization hit him squarely between the eyes that he had purchased the WRONG (Expletive) car!
I thought he was talking straight to me and that there was no one else in the room that understood and identified with that story quite like I did! How could he have known that I experienced the same type things in my life? (not that I've ever purchased a dream car). But I have known real disappointment soon after obtaining just the "thing" that would mean happiness for me. I'm not real sure I'm unique in this regard. In fact, I would surmise that almost daily, I and you (if you are honest) face the age old dilemma of wanting just a little MORE, a little BETTER, or just maybe a little DIFFERENT!
I see this "more, better, and different" syndrome all around me every day. For the past ten years or so I have sold custom hardwood floors and installed them in some of the most expensive homes in the Dallas area---one of which was over 28,000 square feet and sold for $32 million. Their kids were grown and out of the house. But these empty nesters needed a little MORE! And man oh man, did they acquire it!
Almost all of us have been affected either directly or indirectly by addiction. Pot smokers laugh and scoff at those who claim Weed is a gateway drug to more dangerous substances. After all, weed is harmless, green, natural, and a gift from God's creation. But, I've never talked to a heroin junkie (and I've met a few) who said he was at a party when he was 15 years old and they were passing a syringe around the circle. For some reason, these "recreational" substances often lead to a little MORE and a little BETTER.
And don't even get me started on DIFFERENT! From educational degrees, to jobs, to houses, to cars, to clothes, to partners, (did I say partners? as in spouses, boy/girl friends, significant others?) don't we all fall into the trap of hoping for and longing for just something or someone that's just maybe a little DIFFERENT?
While I'm at it, I might as well go ahead and throw the church folks into the mix, where they belong! Yes, I've seen it in religious circles too. Actually, I've seen it much more in these places than I really care to admit on the world wide web. It seems that even us "spiritual" folks (we despise the word religious....we're SPIRITUAL!) fall into the snare of seeking, in our spiritual walks, just a little more, a little better, or a little different. This one is actually a little more difficult to explain. And this will be the first Post that really irritates some of you, and you are gonna want to argue about it. (Good luck with all that!) Because it looks like this: It feels so good being spiritual and I'm feeling better than I've ever felt in my life. But my spiritual walk would be so much better if I could just be the teacher, or play the drums in the band, or lead worship, or speak in tongues or preach on the radio.....This list goes on ad infinitum! I am not necessarily judging anyone who does any of the above. But "more, better, and different", when it's justified under the heading of "spiritual" is often as disturbing to witness as watching a pill popper make the switch from prescription medication to street drugs. I've seen folks transition from a humble follower, just trying to rely on their God, to screaming, shouting, "speaking in tongues", foaming at the mouth, flopping around on the floor like a fish out of water......then try to convince me that it's the Holy Spirit making them do it. I guess we understand HOLY differently! And trust me....just because the church has a band, it doesn't mean that you are suddenly the drummer and have the voice of an angel!
MORE, BETTER, and DIFFERENT! From the halls of academia, to the corner offices of corporate America, to the small houses in suburban Dallas, to houses of worship, to streets and alleys, CONTENTMENT is hard to find! I've looked for it for years, in some, if not all of these places. Seems quite illusive to me. But I will not give up! And I will let you know when and where I find it.
2 comments :
this was like reading "the message" version of ecclesiastes. loved it!
I don't know Kevin... I think some of us try to live life in a "controlled skid". Chaos and calamity is where our comfort zone lies. It's like the car you were talking about. If we ever get to that place we think looks like contentment, we often find we are in the wrong place. It is a place that is too foreign, too uncomfortable. So, we go right back to that place of chaos and calamity to recapture our sense of normalcy. I don't necessarily think we need to change our definition of "contentment" but I do think we should take a look at adapting to a new comfort zone.
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