I am What I Eat

I am the very things I eat.  I am style, I am music, I am Bible, faith, and belief.  I am superhero prequels and sequels and repeats, I am normally abnormal families, I am bling, convenience, the latest technology, happy hours and buy-one-get-one-frees, I am super-sized for the regular price, pride, fear, wisdom, and love.  I'm pretty well rounded, and I look pretty good--maybe a little cluttered.  But I ate it, and I am!

It's hard to imagine a world that wasn't evaluated by what impact it has on us or by how much we liked it.  That's who we are and how we work, isn't it?

I go to a movie because of how satisfied I'll be when I'm done.  I eat food based on the same practice.  I choose who to follow on Facebook and Blogger based on how much I like each and how much my choices may say to others about me.  If something doesn't appear to be good to me, pleasing, or otherwise beneficial, I won't eat it, buy it, watch it, listen to it, read it, share it, or recommend it.  My clothes are purchased based on how good they'll make me look as well as promote my style and my status rating.  I take advantage of many things, not because I want or need them, but simply because the very act of taking, buying, eating, consuming them makes me feel good-regardless of what they are.  I seek to experience things simply for the sake of getting to experience them.

It's nothing new to us, but perhaps it's an interesting perspective on our consumer-driven society that causes us to wonder:  what exactly would our world look like if not driven by consuming based on the resulting satisfaction?  How would we be able to make choices?  How would we know if we found a good church?  How would we know if a show was worth tuning into next week or a restaurant worth our returning to?

Could we function?  What other form of measurement would we use?  To be clear, while I do make daily efforts to live a life of holiness in regards to Jesus and the scriptures, I am no saint, and I ain't no purist.  But I think it's worth considering the alternatives:

What if we evaluated the use of things based on their capacity to enrich others' lives?  What if we watched, read, or listened to things depending on how capable they were of bringing honor to God?  What if I simply ate meals because I needed nourishment?  What if I sought entertainment in the hopes of meeting a need for spending time with those I loved?  What if I didn't simply shop for things because shopping feels good, but instead only made purchases on a need-based approach?

Maybe my life would be boring.  Maybe my faith wouldn't have so much to do with me, and more with God.  Maybe I wouldn't develop as many special interests.  Maybe I would be more concerned with quality than quantity.  Maybe I would be able to see who God was without worrying about why he hasn't met all my needs yet.  Maybe I'd feel more complete.

Just a thought.

ALWAYS more to come!

Jason <><