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Luxuries
Every morning as I drive to my office I pass a sigh that leaves me drooling. I mash my nose against the glass and stare as long as I possibly can before checking back into reality. The object of my glare is a sleek, shiny boat that sits neatly backed into a driveway. Its fiberglass, shallow hull is deep blue, and it, along with its tailored trailer, is spotless. The wrap around windshield is trimmed in dazzling chrome, the engine sparkles in the light of dawn, the accessories and special appointments reveal quality and class. Only one thing is missing—Me. The boat has the wrong owner! My imagination has taken me to Catalina and back…I’ve pulled my family and a dozen others on water skis…in fantasy I’ve waxed it and pampered it, tinkered with its details, and traveled the highways a hundred times with it close behind.
Now maybe your thinking isn’t something that floats. Well, take your pick. When it comes to luxuries, Southern California will spoil you—I mean fast. Yours might be a pool out back…or lovely furnishings in the den…or a new suit rather frequently…or something with four on the floor and mag wheels…an ancient piece of sculpture…a mountain cabin…or a new suit rather frequently…or something with four on the floor and mag wheels…an ancient piece of sculpture… a mountain cabin…a trip to Rome… an Omega watch… an original oil painting by one of the masters…some expensive set of books… a hand-carved desk at your office… sophisticated sound equipment… an exquisite gem or some super-expensive antique. Swell, so much for dreaming. You’re probably thinking, like Plato wrote in The Republic,
WEALTH IS THE PARENT OF LUXURY…
and since you haven’t got the cash, you’re silly to think about spawning such “children” of wealth. Perhaps you’re reluctant to entertain any dreams since daily reality turns them into nightmares of unfulfilled desire. It is possible that you are even laboring under the whip of that eternal taskmaster, Fear, who buffets your fondest fantasy with three brutal blows from his lash—public criticism, personal guilt, and perverted humility.
Why not meet your secret longing head-on? Why not declare that it’s there in your thoughts, waiting for an honest, wise, and intelligent response? I have a most interesting time asking Christians what they would really like to have—what they’d enjoy owning. I’ve had them look around like somebody would squeal on them…or squirm like a worm, feeling uneasy as they admit that down deep inside, they actually cherish some specific, luxurious wish. They occasionally whisper it to me under their breath as if confessing some vice or awful crime. Nonsense!
Whoever started the rumor that possessing something expensive and luxurious was, in itself, suspect or sinful? Wasn’t it Paul who openly declared that he had learned “how to enjoy prosperity…to be filled up…to have abundance…”? (Philippians 4:12, Berkley). He didn’t spend all his days overalls eating crackers and beans, drinking river water, and living under some bridge. Somehow, sometimes he lived with expensive luxuries…and admitted that such things were enjoyed to the fullest. You’ll never convince me that Paul always looked grubby or was uneasy when surrounded by the elite.
Now the only wrong in all this is when expensive and luxurious things posses us. On that axis, everything shifts. When that happens, the green ghost of greed invades our dwelling and haunts our once-contented mind ghost of greed invades our dwelling and haunts our once-contented mind… like the farmer Jesus mentioned in Luke 12:16-21, who substituted the material for the spiritual. That man, said Jesus, was an outright fool. To him, luxuries were essential to life… they were his sole means of happiness and security. He became occupied with the gift and failed to consult with or recognize the Giver.
Do you have some hidden hope which might be labeled a luxury?
Here’s my advice:
- Admit it… don’t ignore it.
- Evaluate it… don’t fear it.
- Plan for it… don’t grab it.
- Enjoy it… don’t worship it.
And the next time you see a bright blue boat with a wrap-around windshield and a “For Sale” sign on it, admire it… but don’t buy it. It might be the one that belongs behind my car.
Deepening Your Roots
Genesis 33:1-9; 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Philippians 4:10-15
Branching Out
- Write down a “dream” you’d like to come true: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Give away something that constantly possesses you—like a box of chocolates, or a gallon of ice cream, or some sports equipment. Do I dare mention your TV? Or let someone else use that boat or car for a weekend.
