This is something that I wrote a few days before I applied for the Race, and I want to share it with you.
I am so thankful to be exactly where I am at, the people in my life, the overflowing blessings that I often take for granted. I have been thinking about what a blessing it is to be an American, where I have my freedoms and where my life in southern California has given me access to all kinds of foods. On the other hand, I have also been thinking about my life and the things that I struggle with as a result of this specific culture that we live in. Life is wonderful here and we are so blessed to have a plethora of beautiful things all around us, but there are consequences and battles that come with living a life that consist of so much more than we could possibly ever need.
1. The danger of becoming too comfortable.
I have it incredibly good. I have a healthy family, I live in a cozy two-story home in the suburbs of southern California, I have a dog, I have food in my pantry and in my refrigerator, I have too many options as to where I want to eat, I have a car, I have an education, I have more clothes than I need in my closet, I have more shoes than I need in my closet, I’m studying to work with children and dance for a living, I have the opportunity to dance every day, I have the legs to dance, I have a job at Disneyland, I have the luxury of a library, I have information at the tips of my fingers thanks to the Internet and so much more. All of these are blessings, yes, but they are also things that can make me comfortable. So comfortable that I forget about the people on Earth who still need Jesus, so comfortable that I forget there are people all over the world and even in my city who have to dig through trash cans for food, so comfortable that I forget the value of spare change, so comfortable that I forget that not many people out there are fortunate enough to go to school. If you’re able to read this, you probably have it good as well. Having it good sometimes causes us to lose sight of the more significant things in life and the reason why we are living. Being comfortable can also lead to idleness, not pushing and striving to work harder, do more, see more, live more, and not for ourselves, but for GOD. All of these commodities are wonderful, of course, but we definitely take them for granted every single day. As wonderful as these blessings are and as incredible as it is to have the luxury of many things at our finger tips, these commodities do not make us any more valuable in the eyes of God.
2. The danger of continually being consumed by technology.
It is absolutely no doubt that we live in a society that is increasingly being dominated by the growing world of technology. I cannot count how many times I’ve witnessed people sharing a meal together at a restaurant and each and every one of them are on their phones. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I catch myself using mine during inappropriate times, and it’s clear to see that technology is taking over. We place so much value on our phones, our computers, our cameras, our cars. Some people I know cannot even go a day without their phone and it’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that we live in a society where our young people would rather Facebook stalk each other for hours instead of sitting down and reading a book. It’s unfortunate that we live in a society where hours on the computer and/or with the television could easily be spent and even fly by without notice instead of spending countless hours getting to know people face to face, no phones in hand. It’s unfortunate that we live in a society where information is so easily accessible on the Internet that libraries and book stores are struggling or even shutting down. It’s unfortunate that many children would rather play Facebook and other computer games at home instead of getting out and playing in the sprinklers, playing baseball in the backyard and front yard, playing with their neighbors. Technology has such a strong hold on so many of us, including me, and despite the fact that it does have many other positive uses, it is extremely dangerous and I believe it even blinds us and distracts us from growing an open, genuine and honest hunger and thirst for God and His word. I believe that technology is a strong weapon that the enemy uses to keep us busy and away from the One who loves us most.
3. The danger of becoming too concerned with things that don’t matter much at all in the big picture.
Being able to enjoy our luxuries and being constantly bombarded with the media and technology creates a certain type of secular culture that many of us can’t help but to fall into. Being brought up and continually exposed to a society dominated by the media creates an ideal picture in the minds of people everywhere that they need to look a certain way in order to be and feel beautiful, that they need certain things in their lives in order to be happy. We are hungry for success, we work really hard to be the best, we become the best, we become successful, we still feel inadequate, we still feel like something is missing, it never ends. We buy clothes, we love them, we wear them, we get tired of them, we shop for more clothes, we’re happy, we wear them, we get tired of them again. We plan our dream wedding, we get everything together, we stress out about it, we plan things down to the detail, we spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress, a photographer, a venue, the food, the wedding day comes, it happens, it’s over. We become too concerned with money, we work really hard for money, we don’t have enough, we want more, we get more, we still don’t have enough, we spend money, we worry about money, we make money, we worry some more. We get tired of our hair color, we look up photos online of different hairstyles we like, we save it, we look at it again, we make our hair that color, we love it, we live in it for a few months, we get tired of it, we dye it again. We save money for a dream car, we finally have the money, we go out and buy it, we drive it around, we’re happy, we use it on vacation, we drive it to work, it gets scratched, we fix it, we get into a car accident and it gets totaled, the car is gone, we want a nicer car. We get an iPhone, we accidentally spill water on it, it stops working, we feel crappy, we resort to phrases like “FML” and we use our next paycheck to buy another iPhone. All of these things are true, all of these things are found all around us- in our friends, in our families, in ourselves. All of these things are true stories and all of these things are, ultimately and in the big scheme of this things called life, silly. At the end of your life, none of this will matter. Being born and raised in a wonderful home in southern California, it is too easy to become too concerned with so many things that don’t matter. If we were to truly live with the knowledge that tomorrow is not promised to us and that we could die at any given second, none of these things would be an issue. God gave you your life, use it wisely and fight over things that matter.
4. The danger of being lukewarm.
All of the things above and so much more are tools that could and would easily drive a human to become lukewarm in their walk with God, or they can even drive a human to have faith that there is no God. I have it too good, even though I find myself complaining at times. I get too consumed with technology, that I forget to seek God and His wisdom first through His word that is found in the pages of the Holy Bible. I become too concerned with things that don’t matter one bit, making me less concerned with the furtherance of the kingdom of God and the many things that I could do in order to make Him known in this incredibly beautiful yet incredibly lost world. And in Revelations 3:16 God says, “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” The danger of being lukewarm is a bigger problem than we think it is. God says that He will spit out the lukewarm, showing that it is better to either be absolutely cold or absolutely hot in your faith and in your walk. I realized that I’ve been lukewarm for too long now, and it is a result of the things that I listed above and so much more… and I’m tired of it. If we are lukewarm, then we clearly do not fear God enough or even at all. He is a gracious and merciful God, yes, but our lives are also running out. We aren’t getting any younger and we aren’t going to live forever. We get too comfortable living in our first world lives with our first world problems that we lose sight of the reason why we are on this earth, the reason why we are living, the reason why we were created and the reason why we were given the luxuries we were given. Take advantage of the opportunities that God places on your heart. Don’t settle. Don’t be too comfortable. Don’t spend hours on technology if you don’t have to. Live radically for Jesus Christ. Be the salt and light of the world. Speak with Him daily, meditate on His word, read a book, take a walk, volunteer, teach for free, get to know people face to face, build relationships, listen to stories from strangers, listen to lessons learned from elderly people, take into account the blessings that God has given to you and use all of them to their fullest potential to empower you for HIS glory, not your own.
I am absolutely proud to be an American! Of course. However, my heart has been heavy to do something bigger. I don’t know how God wants to use me. I don’t know if it’s here, I don’t know if it’s across the world, I don’t know if it’s in the city over, I don’t know if it’s across the street. One thing I do know is that I need to depend on Him so much more and that I need to let Him take over my heart. I need to be okay with whatever He wills for my life and I need to live a fearless life that only holds onto a fear and reverence of Him. I don’t know too many things, but I do know that God is real and that He can transform and has transformed the lives of many. Whatever I end up doing with my entire life, I want to live uncomfortably in a community where I can use my gifts and my passions for His glory alone because at the end of the day, only the things that are done for Christ will last.
