Last night on the computer I watched a two-minute video of a teenage girl who for her birthday was given a $70,000 Lexus. It was a beautiful retractable-top convertible. Her mother had it presented to her with a huge ribbon on top, and had arranged to give it to her before her party so she could drive it to the party to show to her teenage friends. Well, I was amazed and shocked that this girl started cursing and crying and complaining! The video had to bleep out her words as she verbally attacked her mother for “ruining her party” by giving it to her ahead of time!
When I went to bed I couldn’t forget her ungrateful behavior. I became so angry that I imagined some very creative ways that somebody should punish this incredibly spoiled little brat. I considered that the parents should be held responsible for doing such a poor job of instilling values and character in their child. I thought of how many children’s lives could be saved with the money this Lexus cost. The unfairness of it all literally kept me awake for a while.
Coincidentally, I had just been reading Richard Foster’s fine little book “Freedom of Simplicity”, so it didn’t take me long to shift to a more introspective view. Could it be that the reason I was so upset at this girl was because I am (to some degree) like her? Do I demand more than I deserve? Have I been ungrateful for what I have? Have I ever whined and complained when things didn’t come together at the exact time I wanted them to? The answer, regretfully, is yes.
We may not sneer at a gift-Lexus, but most of us are card-carrying (get it?) members of a consumer society that is out of control. “What’s in YOUR wallet?” How many of us see something advertised that we never even knew existed, and suddenly we have “got to have it”? How many of us put something in a yard sale, trade something in, or throw something away, simply because it is no longer in style or as nice as the “new and improved” model?
Unfortunately, we have been brainwashed into thinking that we will be happier with newer and better stuff. “Brainwashed” is a strong word, but it is exactly what I mean to say. We are intentionally manipulated by advertisers who have scientifically analyzed us and programmed us to respond just the way they want us to. We are laboratory rats - running through the mazes, jumping through the hoops, and being injected with the poisons. We have all been trained to run as fast as we can on that little drum that does nothing but spin, and goes nowhere but in circles. No wonder it’s called a “rat race!”
Philip Yancey in “Reaching for the Invisible God” refers to a surprising study that examined the level of happiness among people of the world. Some of you may be as shocked at this as I was at the video of the spoiled-rotten teenager. The study proved conclusively that moderately poor people are happier than the richest people! Those in dire poverty are not happy. The wealthy are happier than the poverty-stricken, but generally the happiest people of all are those who have few possessions and a meager income!
Just this week I voluntarily took a step of “downward mobility”, agreeing to swap cars with a family member until her baby comes. Yes, my car was a Lexus - not new, but still comfortable. What I got in exchange (for a while) is a 1993 Saturn with over 200,000 miles. It is a stick-shift with no power steering and crank-up windows. It is scratched and cramped and uncomfortable and slow and out of style. Girls don’t wave at me and smile and blow the horn, except to motion for me to get out of the way! My friends aren’t impressed. And, you know what? I think that I will survive!
Learning to get along with older and cheaper things can be of great benefit if it teaches us to appreciate what we have and to demand less. I really believe that God wants to work in our lives to change some of our priorities, and to give us the power to be happy with what we have. St. Paul said that if we have food and clothing we should be able to be content.
Can we please just stop being lab rats, and try to become more thankful for our blessings? Can we remind ourselves that a grateful heart is a happy heart? Can we discipline ourselves, at least occasionally, to move down the ladder a little bit, instead of up?
One thing I realized last night after I saw the video of that spoiled girl: unless she changes she will never be happy, so I want to become as much unlike her as I possibly can. Feel free to join me on a journey to the happy side of life! I might even give you a ride in a ‘93 Saturn.
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