By the world’s standards, we Americans are blessed to have a standard of living which is the envy of the people of the world. We take so much for granted. This weekend I went shopping, not in high end stores, really, but was once more amazed by the variety, the colors, and the sheer volume of things available for people to purchase. I remember the long-ago dime stores where we found daily items from sewing supplies to bathrobes to furnishings for our homes. They are all gone now, but we shopped in Woolworths, Grants, and Kresge’s which supplied our needs for most items. The variety and quality were decent; the expectations were met; we were satisfied.
With the photos we’ve been seeing this week of homes in Israel, I was struck by the lack of color. Everything is white or beige. Would we in America be satisfied with fewer than a hundred shades of blues, greens, even beiges? Could most of us live huddled in homes of less than a thousand square feet? Could we walk twenty-six miles to escape danger, carrying what valuables we had, to escape war? Could we, as migrants entering the U.S. illegally, walk through entire countries to reach the borders? Would we be able to “survive” without the luxuries of beds, several tables, silverware for everyone, a dishwasher, or electricity? We are so blessed.
But it’s not the physical expectations I want to address. I think the inheritance we want to provide our children and their children in the future are attributes like hope, expectations, the idea that achievement and accomplishment are not only possible, but their birthright. Is that the case in other places in our world? Do we have the “right” to expect our children will have benefits we have achieved if only they’re willing to work for them as we perceive we’ve done so well? I suspect that we in our nation are facing sure depreciation of expectations. Our children may take years of “just getting by” financially to live comfortably, and our seniors are rightly expecting their savings are not going anywhere as far as they had hoped in their retirement. In the last three years alone, people have been lowering their expectations because their finances are not keeping up with the standards of living they expected to achieve in this country. It’s humbling. It’s even daunting. And it’s leading to sure signs of depression, of fear, of worry, and to lowered expectation.
I’m appalled and a little sad when I watch shows on TV where people are considering a piece of real estate and immediately look at a perfectly functional kitchen and say, “This all has to go. It’s dated. We have to take this place down to the studs and start over. Then you see the final outcome, after thousands of dollars have been spent, and everything is stark white, a designer’s idea of what’s “in” (or worse yet, grey) and there are no signs of the place looking “lived in.” In “opening it up” we deny privacy. In building it bigger, we forger the toll in time it takes to maintain and clean the space. In wanting acres of gardens, we forget the weeding, feeding, cutting, pruning, and the time it takes to keep it impressive. My dad used to say we could be penny wise and pound foolish. Our homes can own us. We’ve recently learned this lesson as we downsized to an apartment. Oh, the freedom we’re enjoying!
I know one place where we can find confidence It is in the sure knowledge of the Christian faith which says, earth is not our final home, and that riches are not the end-all and be-all of this mortal life. Yes, there will always be the materialistic expectations, the house with the white picket fence, the job which remains reliable, food that is safe and plentiful, and a satisfaction the after working years elapse, a satisfactory retirement is in store. Well, it may not pan out that way. While addictions and mental health attack our population, causing a dizzying inability to function, most people still dream the American dream. But, in the long run, “things” and popularity and followers on social media do not satisfy. Only the complete knowledge that God is sovereign, He will provide what we need, and we can satisfy our strivings by taking the higher path of expectation knowing that everything in this mortal world is subject to rust and corruption, only then will be recognize that there is more to life than “things.” They are entrapments. They own us. They take away our sense of purpose and and our expectations.
May this verse from Ephesians provide some perspective: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.” In other words, when we acquire too much “stuff” in this world that it becomes burdensome, take a step back to see what really counts. We are to put our trust in the eternal God who tells us to put our trust in heaven where nothing corrupts, wears out, or becomes useless, but all is to the glory of God. That is where true satisfaction is. That is why we should be able to abandon all that we have at a moment’s notice, because nothing matters in this world but the inheritance of God’s grace and the eternal blessing of His fellowship. Martin Luther had it right when he wrote: “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also.” When it comes down to absolutes, that’s the crux of it, isn’t it? Our inheritance has nothing to do with reading our parents’ wills leaving this item and that item to those already “owing” too much stuff. Our inheritance is what is so often overlooked, and our perspective is short-sighted.
About the Author
