doldrums, muses & consumerism

I fear that, today, I have nothing particularly profound, witty, or insightful to offer. In fact, it would seem quite the opposite. As I prepared to write, I found myself uninspired, motionless, stuck. That is a most desperate place to be, as anyone who’s been there can attest. To be in the doldrums, devoid of passion, lacking all inspiration and direction, can be very distressing.

 

Yet the momentary stillness prompted me to consider: Who or what is my muse? What is it that stirs me, that drives me forward? Do I pay homage to the Spirit because of who he is, or only for the animation he brings? That is, is God merely a means to an end? Would I, like Job, praise him even if I benefited nothing from it? To some this may seem an immaterial question, but I believe the answer is of enormous consequence.

 

In the West, we are accustomed to a consumerist mentality in which we get something we want out of our exchanges. Not only so, but we shop around, looking for the best deals, the biggest bargains, the hottest sales. We want what we want, and we want it for cheap. It’s capitalism at its finest. And in the realm of economics, it is a beautiful thing. But has this mindset begun to infiltrate our faith? It is no way to approach our relationship with God.

 

More to the point, do we come to God with a wish list? Do we view our worship and devotion as the price we pay to get what we want? If so, we are not the first. This attitude was epidemic in the early church. Paul warned Timothy of those to whom “religion is just a way to get rich” (1 Tim. 6:5, NLT). Likewise, James chastised believers who embraced this sort of consumerist approach: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures” (4:3, NRS).

 

I do not want to say that we are intentional in this. Honestly, I don’t think that we come to church with the intention of earning points with God. But subconsciously, in the back of our minds, does this posture influence our thinking?

This is a danger that is especially menacing to the young. For those not yet grounded in the faith, it is only natural to overlay the framework of what they know upon that which is new and unfamiliar. In their fledgling faith, they do not yet realize that money, contrary to what the world has told them, does not hold the answer to life’s problems. Are we who are mature, then, exposing this sham for what it is? Are we helping them to see that chasing it will “plunge them into ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. 6:9, NLT)?

Simply stated, consumer Christianity cannot be reconciled with a Jesus who said:
 

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? (Luke 9:23-25, NLT)

 

Still, the problem remains: As followers of Jesus, we should not be defined so much by what we are against as by what we are for. A wise pastor once shared that if we invest our time doing the “dos,” we won’t have time to do the “don’ts.” The sentiment was appreciated. What, in this case, is the “do” that we should be doing? We ought to be chasing after God with abandon, not for what he can offer us, but simply because he deserves it. If he so chooses to bless us (which he does), then we accept it with gratitude and humility, but that cannot be our motivation.

So here I am, inspired, in motion, and freed. The Spirit has swept me out of the doldrums. I suppose it simply took an adjustment of perspective…