Thought of the Day 07.07.09

The other day, I saw a melancholy looking girl waiting for a bus and listening to her i-pod. It made me pause to think of just how much misery there is, even in our wonderful country. But after a moment of sympathetic sadness, I sort of got angry at her.

“She should be more grateful for all the blessings in her life. How dare she be unhappy in this prosperous land when so much of humanity has it so much worse than she does!”

And that’s when it hit me. I’m a materialist!

Somewhere deep in my thinking is buried the idea that material prosperity is the key to happiness and that its lack justifies misery. So if people have anything to be grateful for, they should be happy, and if they don’t, well at least their depression makes sense. And yet, reality shows rock stars often being horribly miserable even as the poorest of slumdwellers lives joyfully. Why?

Because our deepest needs aren’t solved by economic, political, or physical prosperity. Only Jesus Christ can touch us at our cores and bring us the joy we really desire.