I wonder how many things it would take to fill up a person’s heart. Is there such a number? Is there a level of things to be had? What would it take for each of us to become happy?
We live in a day of over-consumption. Most of us who don’t live in poverty, live in a state of accumulation. It is in our nature to want to get more and more, as if we can buy our way to contentment.
No one is more guilty of this than I. I have become an expert at tracking down and buying the “collection” of items that are part of a series. I may have started out wanting only one thing but then I become filled with a desire to buy all of the other things that surround it. Even if I don’t really care for the vast majority of those items. Somehow, I can’t envision having the one I really want and enjoying it fully without also obtaining the others.
I believe we have learned much of this desire for acquisition from advertising. I read a book in an English class, once upon a time and a long time ago, that dealt with the age of mass advertising. According to the premise of that book, it started with the World Fairs. The fairs were a way of bringing items to the attention of the masses who attended the fair.
It worked but only in a limited way. While many people attended the fairs, in the large scheme of things, only a few of the vast population were included in that number.
There were magazines, of course, but not everyone bought one. Radio, too, but it was difficult to capture the attention of most without a visual aid. It wasn’t until the advent of television that manufacturers and others could bring their products to the attention of the masses.
Once television showed up and the shows were free, once you paid for your TV and bought an antenna, the advertisers had a way into most homes. Boy, oh boy, did they ever have a field day once that happened.
I was born in an era when most everyone had television though ours was in black and white until I was an adult. I grew up with ads and commercials without realizing that I was being indoctrinated into a consumer mentality.
Children wanted the toys they saw. Housewives wanted the appliances and furniture. Men wanted all the electronics and latest gadgets. In short, everyone started wanting something that they would never have considered relevant for their lives previously.
That’s not to say that the desire to accumulate and get more and more was sparked by ads, merely that it was focused on items and driven forward week to week.
While the ads focus us on what we want to buy, we are already creatures who want to get more and more. The moment we get something new and the novelty wears off, we are back, once again, looking for something else. The things we thought could make us happy, ultimately, do the opposite.
If, on the other hand, we purchase something that we need, like a refrigerator or washer, a baby crib or such, those can bring satisfaction because of their usefulness. Still, not happiness or a fulfillment of our spirits.
It is when we go beyond the actual needs of our lives and look to some “thing” that will bring us joy that we are doomed to failure, remorse, and even deep-seated self-hatred.
We can never buy our way to happiness. There is no item or accumulation of items that fill will our souls and make us feel complete. We can bury ourselves until we are considered a hoarder or a collector. We can spend our whole lives in search of, and even finding all that there is to find. No matter, there is never enough to satisfy our souls.
Pursuing wealth is the same. Money is just another thing. It is even more insidious than mere possessions because the love of money and what it can buy or influence is the root of all kinds of evil.
We are empty and nothing we can do by ourselves is ever going to fix it. There is only one way to become whole and, by doing so, become happy with the life that we have been given. It does take an effort on our part but only as a receiver and a believer.
Jesus came to earth to provide a way for us to have our spirits made whole. Until we accept his gift, with our spirits cracked and broken, anything we try to fill our souls with will never work.
Once we accept his gift of pardon of our sins, our spirit is made new and whole again. It is at that point that we become fitting and whole vessels to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He has been sent to each of us as Christ-followers. Jesus sent him to provide us comfort and guidance until Jesus himself returns for us once again.
The Holy Spirit is there speaking to you if you will listen. To be honest, Christians (including me) can ignore his guidance and go back to trying to purchase and accumulate happiness.
It’s time to acknowledge that that mindset is a sin. It is not what God wants us to do. Rather than getting more and more for ourselves, God wants us to be givers. He wants us to share and help one another. It’s important, though, to offer the proper assistance and not just to give what seems okay. If too much of the wrong items are given, the receiver can become complacent and expectant of being given more and more. They can even become scornful and hateful towards those who are giving.
So, living a life in which generosity is second nature, something that you do without thinking, is the right way to live. Don’t do it blindly but, instead, ask God through the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom in what you are to give. If you are giving the right way, God will reward you and provide what you need to continue your life of generosity. This doesn’t mean riches or prosperity, it means that God will provide what he believe you need.
Some give money, some give time. Others give items that they have made while others teach knowledge. Something we can all do is give our thoughts and prayers for others. We may not have money to give but we can always pray. The ultimate in giving is to spread the good news of the saving power of Christ Jesus.
Finally, if we change from accumulators into givers, we will find much more joy in this journey that we call our lifetime.
Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”