I start to think that more is actually a poltergeist that haunts American media. More has found its way onto all mediums of the information highway. It rules the air waves that stream through our car radios, it has taken command of the internet, and has been flowing through the RGB cables of TV sets since the TV was made. It’s on bill boards and flyers, magazine adds, shopping centers, and infomercials all over the country.
All over the media, the promise for more of everything is the fuel for every major company; From Johnson & Johnson, BP, to Columbia records and everywhere in between. Car companies claim “More miles per gallon!” Gyms promise “More muscle! More health! More thin!” When I am at the supermarket, I see it written on hundreds of products, “50% 25% 75% MORE FREE!”. Our society is based on the premise that excess is best. “ The more the merrier,” goes the saying. It is simply not enough to just have enough these days. People want and will always want More material things.
People, especially in the states, seem to always want more of everything. More healthcare, more gas in the tank, more clothing, more living space, more memory on the hard drive, more money, and the list can go on forever. I could probably fill this whole article with the things Americans want more of. But, it comes not to my surprise. Material things are nice to have. When was the last time you saw someone frown while riding a jet ski, or start to cry while jumping on a trampoline? What American do you know who doesn’t want a nice Lexus or Mercedes, nice clothing, and more money? Well the answer is very few. Most Americans tend to equate success with excess. That is the American dream, to become something from nothing; to come from having nothing to have virtually everything at an arm’s reach.
As a Christian, it’s sad to say that the only place More hasn’t penetrated into is the church. So many times I see instances where people I know go to church just to go to church. They no longer go because they want a connection with The Infinite God. It’s not hard to imagine all the empty prayers that are said on a daily basis. Every Saturday I can see at least five people asleep at a pew while the sermon is going on. With today’s world, most youth are buried away in their smart phones, posting on Twitter or Facebook how boring the day is or how much they “hate this one girl because she talked to the guy I like!” The occasional song lyric might come up, but it’s usually about “getting that paper.” Or another dance craze that is sweeping the nation, or the most dreaded, how much they love Justin Bieber's new song.
“God is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me besides the still waters.” Most of us who have some sort of root in the Judeo-Chirstian religion, are familiar with this verse in the Bible. This was a poem written by King David. It’s upsetting to say that not a lot of people talk like this anymore. Not a lot of people strive to seek a deeper meaning with the Infinite God or a relationship at all for that matter. We as Americans and as a human race in general, seem to be content with our material possessions. With superficial artifacts that never cut deep into the soul, into the mind, or into the heart. These things that we always want more of, just always scratch the surface. These things are here today and gone tomorrow like “the lilies of the field.”
We are so caught up in the superficial, we ourselves have become shallow in nature. We have forgotten that we were created for so much more! We were born for more than degrees, than cubical’s, 9 to 5's, fancy cars, suits and ties, bank accounts. We forget that the potential that we have within us is unrivaled, unlimited, and unfortunately, untapped. We were commanded to take go out and take domain over the ground we walk and the seas we sail. We have the whole world waiting for us. We can change so many things in the name of Love and all we have to do is want MORE!
Don’t settle for just the daily drive to the gym, to school, to work, to the supermarket. Don’t sell yourselves short. We as humans are finite but let me tell you this, we serve an Infinite God who has no boundaries and is willing and waiting to change your life, to give you more of something that will echo in eternity. All you have to do is give your finite life to The Infinite Other and the possibilities become endless.
So my dear friends travel light and go fourth! Strive for more than just okay, more than just mediocre, want more than just being fine. Seek only more of The Infinite Creator who is never short of Love, Grace, and Redemption. There is a big difference with how things are today, and how they should be tomorrow; we are the catalyst to spark a revolution of Love. Salvation and Redemption are here my friends, they are waiting for you. Breathe them in with every breath you take for as long as there is air in your lungs there is room for a second chance.
"Become who you are; it happens once in a lifetime." -Jon Foreman
