I'm completely stealing another thought/idea/clever phrase from Matt Chandler... I should probably dedicate this blog to him, or pay him copyright fees, or maybe I should just get my own material. I'm not sure. While I am totally stealing his phrase, I did want to expand on it a little bit more.
It's called... the "Cul de Sac of Stupidity." Yes, maybe it's a little harsh and yes, he's kind of calling our thinking process "stupid," but that's really what it is. I'll try to break it down...
Ultimately, only God alone can satisfy us, right? He alone is to be praised. He alone is worthy. He alone is God. He is the only one who can satisfy us with a real and deep satisfaction. Think about how often you feel satisfied (or what you think is satisfied) through your children, your spouse, your friends, your possessions, your beautiful home, your new car smell car, your boat, your smokin' hot body or your perfect hair. The thing is, none of those (no, not even your precious children) are able to truly and deeply satisfy you. If you try to let these things satisfy you, you always go searching for "more" because they always fall short of God.
You've probably heard this concept before. But I think it's something we tend to forget, and if you look at the way we think, live, or act, it's obvious that we forget this.
So where does the cul de sac of stupidity come in? Well, our 4 year old car doesn't satisfy us anymore, so we get a new one. Our iPhone just isn't cutting it anymore so we need the newer one. Our hairstyle is a little boring so we need a new one. Our daughter's clothes just aren't quite cute enough so let's buy her some more. He also comments on the fact that most things we buy are things we already have. I thought this was so interesting and so true! I was listening to it right after I bought Jeff a Keurig coffee maker for Father's Day and I was like, yup, we already had a coffee maker!
We are stuck in the cul de sac of stupidity, going round and round, trying the same thing over and over to satisfy us. And it doesn't. So what do we do? Look to The Source of Eternal Satisfaction? No! We try out some more "new" things! And we really think that the "next thing" might actually satisfy us for more than .5 seconds this time. See how silly it is?
But some of us might feel like we've escaped the cul de sac of stupidity because we don't always have to have the best car or phone or clothes or house or whatever. We might be feeling good and prideful about the fact that we aren't super materialistic, that we know how to draw financial limits for ourselves. But there are plenty of other ways to get stuck in this "cul de sac"...
Maybe I'm just making this up, but I feel like our generation isn't quite as materialistic as the previous one. (Or maybe it's because I now live in Temple instead of Dallas?) I just tend to come across a lot more people in my generation that actually realize that their identity is not found in "things." What I feel like is happening though is that we're having the same "heart issue" but expressing it in a different way. Maybe you're not finding your satisfaction in your granite countertops, but are you finding your satisfaction in how "good" of a person you think you are, in how much you volunteer, in how much you accomplish in 24 hours, in how awesome of a mom you are, in how awesome of a wife you are... or even... in how good you are at following God's commands, or how often you read your Bible.
Please notice that I'm using "reading your Bible" and "following God's commands" as parallel examples to "needing a new car." Yes, I'm really doing that. And I'll tell you why.
It's all about the heart behind these actions. Obviously needing a new car and reading your Bible are not in and of themselves bad things. But our identity and our satisfaction is in Christ, and Christ alone. If we feel good about ourselves for volunteering or reading our Bible or following God's law, it's no different than feeling good about yourself because of the ferrari that you drive or the 5 carat diamond ring that sport. Isn't it ironic that we judge wealthy people for finding their satisfaction in "things," when our heart is actually doing the same thing, just with something other than a 5 carat diamond ring (well, maybe you have a 5 carat ring... ;)).
If we are finding our ultimate satisfaction outside of Him, no matter what it is in, it doesn't last and it's not real. We go around and around the cul de sac of stupidity trying to volunteer more, read our Bible more, or be "better" at following God's commands. We are kind of trying to satisfy ourselves with our "goodness."
We often do these things to feel better about ourselves instead of to bring honor and glory to God.
It's basically saying, God, I don't need you. I can be a "good" person by my own effort. I can help people. I can memorize Scripture. I can "earn" your favor and become deserving of your grace.
But we can't. We miss the whole purpose of the cross if we think we can earn it or deserve it because it's absolutely free...
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9.
We can't work for it and we can't play a part in salvation. It's from Him.
We typically have a really difficult time accepting things for free so we start to work for them. Do you realize what we are saying when we are trying to work for salvation? We are saying that Christ's work wasn't enough. That we have to add something to it. And that couldn't be further from the truth.
So let's try to identify the "Cul de Sacs of Stupidity" that we're stuck in, hand them over to Him, and take residence on just a good old, narrow residential street... that looks a lot like His path for our lives.
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4
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