Shiny Things and The Lost Luster of Approval

I happened to be at the bank today and the pastor of a former church where I used to attend was in the next lane. I rolled down my window and as I did, I noticed he and his wife were staring at my work truck. I affectionately call it the Superman truck. It's a 2009 Ford F150 Platinum series pickup. 4 Doors, Saddle leather, in dash dvd/phone syn system. Bose Stereo, electric everything. It's far and above nicer than anything I have ever driven. It belongs to the owner of my company. Kind of a "Thank You" gift for me running the business so he can be with his family. I have enjoyed it and I get lots of looks in it from lots of people, but my former pastor had always expressed his interest in owning an F150 pickup. He is a guy, guys like trucks and my friend likes fishing and guy things so I could see him sizing the truck up as I rolled the window down to speak to him. We shared the cordial greetings etc. and he admitted to me he had been coveting my truck. I know with him it's more tongue and cheek because first of all he is a man I would definitely say walks with God daily. I also know he is kind and wants me to feel good as well, but the very honest truth is when we were talking about the truck, I felt ashamed.

I didn't feel ashamed because I hadn't earned it or because I don't deserve nice things, no I was simply reminded of times in my past as a boy longing for nice vehicles to drive and being willing to pay large payments to reaffirm my standing as a man. To stick it in other people's faces so they would be impressed or interested with me. I felt ashamed like I didn't want attention because of the truck. At the end of the day it's only a mode of transportation for goodness sake, it's not a status symbol or something that should be valued. It should be handled with care as something of an investment you want to make last a long time, but to measure the worth of a man by the stack of green papers he possesses runs rough shod over the work that Jesus came to establish.

I own a minivan and the honest truth in our society is people don't drive them for their luxury or their pleasure of all the looks women in red bikinis give you as you drive by in one. Seriously I own a minivan because I have 4 lives that are constantly moving to go to places for activity and life. If you think about it? Its a transport so memories and life can be created. To honor someone less because of the value we place on their transportation is like criticizing livestock when they ride in a banged up stock trailer headed for a sale.

All of this attention lately has caused me to begin to focus on God's approval and appreciation for us. Adam would walk along in the cool of the day with God daily and his greatest need wasn't clothes or material possessions, it was God's attention and love. We worship things we were not created to draw attention to. Have you ever had a situation where you had something mechanical that was broken and short of having the right part to repair the item, it was worthless to you and you could not use it for its intended purpose? That's exactly how we are created. We were made in HIS image to walk along in the Garden, not hang out at the mall, frustrated because the $50 dollar jeans are not as hip as the the jeans that cost $120 and the girl at the food court had on a pair and we felt insignificant. Again, it's a search for everyday significance from anything to try and provide that peace in our heart that can only be found in God. We languish in life because even the most secure in this life still long for approval from someone. We were created to worship him in the Garden daily. That's why the true depiction of heaven is the non stop worship for forever. It's not more of the same of this emptiness on streets of gold. what a ridiculous notion. Why would we worship ourselves and bring all of the nonsense from down here to a place where perfection is the norm and worship of him is all that consumes us. Imagine how much it would really suck for someone to make it to heaven and then realize they weren't in love with God, and how bored they will be. It's not about us... never has been. Its about his love for us and our response to that love. 66 books of the bible... every last one of them is about that same idea... His love for us and our response to that love...

Most days I fail. I say that meaning I seek everyone Else's opinion and approval. I post things to my facebook, I write in my blog, I post things on the computer etc and if I seriously was honest with myself if I wasn't' getting attention from all of it, I know I would grow weary of it and seek some other form of activity to earn approval. All of us do it (I know you disagree, but it's true). If NFL athletes or professional basketball players played in empty stadiums and no one gave them notoriety for doing something hard or they didn't earn millions of dollars.. they would leave the gear on the field and walk away. When the luster of someone Else's approval wears off and we are left to focus on Gods approval only, it's a lot like breaking a steady diet of bad food. Greasy fried fatty foods with gravy and soda's to drink. Try eating that diet and switching to a diet of grilled chicken, light salads and yogurt. You will feel better, but your appetite has to shrink to feel the effects of hunger because we have been consuming the empty calories of the approval of other people. God's love feels good, but we still want more until we practice a steady diet of it. When we have only allowed his approval and love to captivate us for a while, it's like eating food rich in vitamins and fruits and veggies... we begin to hunger for it alone. The greasy fast food style approval of men eventually turns out stomachs and we long to taste the rich banquet of the Lords love for our lives. Sleek lean spirits are molded from the healthy love that God gives alone and as we cry out for such, God changes our desires to no longer clip coupons from the mailers of life hoping to redeem them with people of value to keep or spirits and ego's from depletion ; )