I recently came across a couple of quotes that jumped off the page and captured my attention. They both have to do with what I’ll call “lust for stuff.”
The first quote was in an NBC News article on space mining (you know, of asteroids and such). The article was mainly concerned with the economic and technological feasibility of mining in this “new wild west,” but one sentence jumped out as surprisingly philosophical in nature: “Considering that Earth’s resources are finite and that the well of human desire knows no bottom, a continued future for our species will likely require robust manned spaceflight to leave the planet.”
Brilliant. The future of humanity on this earth is not simply a political/economic issue of meeting human needs, but a philosophical issue of meeting human desires.
A couple of days later, I came across some more fleshed-out reflections on this topic. Richard Bauckham, in The Bible in Politics, writes:
“The idea of sufficiency is alien to the culture of excess. Indeed, it is highly subversive of the economy of growth. But it is what the earth needs and is surely the key to the common future we share, for good or ill, with the rest of creation on the earth.
Consumerism is a system dedicated to keeping our acquisitive instincts in play far beyond their natural use. It creates wants that we need to have only to keep the economy going, while the economy must be kept going in order to fund our ever-increasing wants.”
Bauckham then quotes Jesus, in a statement that I’ve read hundreds of times, but which is taking on heightened meaning as I reflect on the idols of our culture and my heart:
“… we need our eyes opened to recognize, with Jesus, that ‘life does not consist in the abundance of possessions’ (Luke 12:15)—or, as we might put it, in the constant consumption of more and more stuff. In the vicious circle of consumption, we lose sight both of the generosity of God and of the wonder of his creation, which we do not need to possess in order to enjoy.”
These are convicting words. As Christians in a first world country, our lust for stuff, observed by our childlike dissatisfaction with what we have, is a problem that we know exists but would rather not acknowledge. But it is a serious problem which, as Bauckham points out, blinds us to God’s generosity and wonder, among other things.
And it’s something which affects people of all socio-economic levels. Whenever the topic of the temptations of riches come up, most of us tend to think of people who have more than us, and think they are the ones who really need to hear this message. But lust for stuff manifests itself just as much in the poor as in the middle class and wealthy. We can put our hope both in the riches we have, or the riches we wish we had.
So how do we battle this lust for stuff that is so pervasive in our culture, and in our hearts? As a first step, we simply acknowledge that it’s there, and that it’s a battle we must continually fight. In addition, we regularly check the condition of our hearts: its lusts, ambitions, and fears tell us a lot about ourselves. Towards this end, I find the following questions helpful:
Which do I desire most: to have all my needs met, or to see God’s goodness as he meets my needs?
Do I find my ultimate comfort and security in God’s goodness, or in my savings accounts and investments?
If my savings accounts were emptied and/or I lost my ability to earn money, would I still be confident and comforted in God’s hands?
Is the quality, type, and amount of food on my table enough, and reason for thanksgiving?
Is the quality and amount of vacations I take enough, and reason for thanksgiving?
Is my five or ten-year plan mainly about increasing finances, comforts, home-size, etc.? Or is it mainly about glorifying God in all areas of life?
Am I constantly trying to reach an elusive plateau of sufficiency?