I listened to John Ortberg’s When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the Box on CD last week. And I was captured by a section in which he talked about how much of our lives are spent in the pursuit of MORE. More money, more time, more stuff, more prestige, more power. What do you want? More __________.
Which got me thinking about what I want more of. And then I started thinking about what would happen if I didn’t want any more. Because most of the more I want is more I don’t need. What, I wondered, would happen if I were content with just this?
Because this is pretty great.
At first, the idea seemed hugely inviting. Stop striving, stop stretching, stop reaching with fingers grasping for that little bit more that won’t make me any happier than I already am (at least not for long). But as I followed that idea a little farther, I began to realize that it would be pretty boring. Just being appreciative seems a little . . . dry.
So what’s the problem? If the thrill of more quickly wears off and the status quo is boring, then what?!?
Clearly, there’s a measure of satisfaction in working hard and achieving goals. I think the problem is that all too often I strive for more of the wrong things. More time and freedom to do as I please. More money to make me more comfortable. More power to get my own way. More stuff to entertain me.
What if I simply worked for more . . . God? More time and freedom to serve others. More money to help those in need. More power to turn others toward Christ. More of the stuff that makes life worth living–joy, peace, faith, kindness, love.
Frankly, I’m afraid it’s easier to work for more of that earthly stuff. I can measure my bank account so much more easily than I can the amount of joy I share with others. I can more readily gauge my boss’ satisfaction with my work than I can quantify how well I listened to the Holy Spirit today.
But it’s a trap. It’s the easy way out. I think God designed us to want more–only it’s more of HIM and so often we just settle for more. It’s like C.S. Lewis’ example of a child content to make mud pies because he has no notion of what a holiday at the beach is.
I suspect there’s more to more than we can even imagine. We just have to turn our hearts and hands to working at the right sort of more. The New Year is right around the corner. Seems like a fine time to decide what I really want more of–hope, love, the Holy Spirit–and then seek it with all I’ve got.
Meet Sarah
I want more.
More strength to spit in the eye of Death, and say, “Not likely!”
More wisdom to tell the people who say that I should relax into the pain and debility that such a retreat would not satisfy honour, and that “I could not love thee, dear, so much, loved I not Honour more” applies to my love for God as well as for any person. (The quote’s from Richard Lovelace, if you’re interested.)
More guts, that I would never let a word of complaint nor a whimper of pain pass my lips.
More generosity, so that I can always look at my situation and say, “Yeah, God cared enough to send the very worst, because he knew I could handle it.,..and it spared someone else.”
And more capacity for love, because happiness ain’t measured by how much we take, but by how much we give (quote from a fellow door-kicker and shooter).
God bless you, Sarah. I love your blog; Your wisdom, compassion, and humour are a blessing to all of us.
Now that is an excellent list of MORE!
So good, Sarah. It makes us examine what our motives and desires really are…where our priorities lie. I want more of that joy, peace, faith, kindness, and love radiating from my life this year and a lot less of the other mores.
Yes, more going out in a positive way!