The Consumer Nation

We have the Constitutional right in America to define happiness for ourselves and determine on our own what will make us happy - money, education, careers, cars, family, fame, property or prestige; you name it, in America you can go for it. And we are rightly thankful for this privilege.

         But think about contentment for a moment.  It is not a right of acquisition protected by a two-hundred-thirty-eight year old piece of parchment. We do not earn it and it has nothing to do with politics. It is about relationships and is a free gift from God.  And he never intended for us to work for our contentment.  That was not a part of his original design.  How do we know that?  I am so glad you asked. 

         Remember the creation story.  God created us (Adam and Eve) not to think about ourselves at all, but to walk by his side and worship him all day every day.  As such, we were utterly without self-conscience before the fall. For us contentment simply was and we had no thought for its manufacture or acquisition.  God's presence was our contentment and we simply were.

         Happiness, on the other hand, is a feeling you can experience at any given moment, which can vanish instantly with just a phone call or the mail.  Thankfully, contentment is more than a feeling. It is a result.  Let me repeat that. Contentment is the result of being in God's presence.  It never changes and it envelops today and tomorrow for all eternity and as long as we linger in his presence, we will be content. This is why achieving contentment through self-help books, CDs, and DVDs is doomed. We cannot produce our own contentment.  We possess neither the skills nor the means of production.  God designed us simply to experience it.  God produces it and we consume it.

         So, I guess that means God’s people are the original consumer nation!   

 

As always, in Christ, David M. Cornell

GOD MOMENTS