“I want my children to experience another culture”. “As a family, we think it’s important to see the great wonders of our planet – the barrier reef, the Grand Canyon, the pyramids…”. “I want a full life, a fun life, and that means grabbing every opportunity with both hands”. “I’ve made my bucket-list and I’m not going to quit until every item is ticked off”.
Human beings in the West love trying something fresh. Positive new experience is actively sought. And why not?
God created an extraordinary world. Our God-given creativity has multiplied the ways in which we can engage with his world in wonderfully exciting ways. So isn’t it good to seek out these possibilities and grab with them with every ounce of energy we have? After all, there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with wanting to jump out of an aeroplane, drive a racecar and go on a world tour. There’s nothing wrong with personal dreams. I’d like to fly a falcon; gallop along a beach on a horse; I want to know what it feels like to be weightless and I’d definitely like to see the northern lights, swim in a coral reef or climb Mount Kilimanjaro (even though last time I flew past, it did look ridiculously high and I have the general fitness levels of an aged slug).
The trouble is, these good things can easily become idolatrous things. Our interest in God’s world (“I’d like to explore … “) all too easily tips over into feeling that we have a right to experience certain things (“I need to try … “). And somehow, if we’re not indulging in fresh things at least every now and then, we start to feel we’re being deprived in some way…
The bottom line is, if other people are having these wonderful experiences, we feel we should too. But that’s a set of priorities that is driven by keeping our eyes on our neighbours (and what they’re doing) rather than keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our life. That’s a recipe for storing up treasure on earth rather than treasure in heaven. And it’s a recipe for discontent because there will, inevitably, be times when we don’t get to do what we want.
So, it’s worth asking ourselves some tough questions from time to time. Would our lives really be diminished if we didn’t have any overseas holidays? Would our children’s lives be damaged if they didn’t have the latest game, see the latest movie, visit the national treasure or experience a certain culture? Will we really have anything to regret if we don’t get to swim with sharks any time before we die?
Paul had learned to be content in any and every circumstance (Philippians 4:12). And that’s because he had grasped what Jesus had taught… That fullness of life is found in relationship with God, nowhere else (John 10:10). No trip abroad can inform or excite us more than walking with Jesus. No extraordinary encounter with a remote tribe or ferocious beast can get our hearts racing as much as the phenomenal message of grace and the privilege it is to share that message with those who are currently heading for eternal death. No wonder of the world is as wonderful as its creator.
So, as we begin to plan our holidays for the summer (or the winter, if you’re reading this in the southern hemisphere!) let’s slay some idols and seek first the Kingdom of God. Let’s enjoy opportunity, if it presents itself, to enjoy a new aspect of God’s creation and let’s thank God for the experience. But let’s not pursue these things as if they’re the things that matter most. And if our holidays end up with us sitting in a chair in the garden reading the Bible and talking for extended periods of time with our heavenly Father, let’s remember that makes us extraordinarily privileged … far more blessed than we deserve or can even imagine.
