The last two weeks gave us the opportunity to rest and spend time together as a family. It was the longest holiday we’ve had together after all these years, and though tiring, it gave me an opportunity to rest and be away from work. The first week saw me feel the withdrawals associated with always being connected 24/7. It took time to get over feeling the need to check my email, send emails, follow-up work stuff, surf the net. One of the things I realized is how ‘addicted’ we are to being connected. I believe being connected gives us a sense of worth – it makes us feel wanted. One could even say it makes us feel special. From being connected through Facebook or Bebo, to Xbox live or Warcraft, to Skype or MSN, to Second Life, to YouTube, to gmail, to being on call 24/7, we want to know that we’re wanted and special. A very simple test would be to disconnect and unplug yourself for a week and then gauge how you feel. Feelings of disorientation, lostness, loneliness, boredom will all be evident. Wanting to be connected, wanting to be wanted, wanting to feel special is the way God has made us. It’s because God has made us for relationship. Behind our desire to be connected is our desire to be in relationship, which is what all of us crave and live for. All technology has done is that it’s given us an opportunity to express that desire in a different way. In a previous generation people joined social or hobby clubs. These days we do it online in a virtual world. What people don’t realize is that what is often a legitimate need i.e. to be in relationship with others, often becomes an addiction that fuels our self-centeredness. We ‘connect’ and ‘post’ and ‘chat’ and ‘blog’ to make ourselves feel good. In fact much of what I have seen posted online is an expression of self-love.
It hides our greater need. God has not just made us for relationship with each other, but he’s made us for relationship with Himself. Being ‘connected’ only masks the void within, which is why the moment another online community pop’s up, we sign up. What we need to realize more than anything else is that there is a God who made us, who loves us, who desires to be in a relationship with us, and who has a great plan and design for our lives. It’s the one relationship we all need, but also the one relationship we run away from. We think every other relationship will fill the void from being connected online, to connecting with money, sex, career and pleasure. In fact, it’s the reason why Jesus came and why he died – to be the bridge that reconnects you with God, the one relationship that matters most in life.Over these few weeks at church, our sermons will be looking at what it means to get connected with God, how he can fill the void and how he reshapes the way we live when it comes to money, sex, career and pleasure. You can listen in by clicking on our sermon links to download the upcoming series on the right.
1 comment:
It's interesting Euge that you say that there's an inherent desire for relationship. Looking over some distant family history, particularly on my father's side, there's also an inherent desire in people for power. Apparently, (or so legend goes) a few of my ancestors seemed particularly obsessed with power - so much so that they murdered everyone one around them, parents, children 100,000 peasants - all in all it's like being a descendant of Stalin. Thinking on power or moreso the desire for it up to megalomanic levels, it's the complete opposite of love and relationships. It's epitome of sin. It's addictive, destructive (potentially) and above all doesn't really care for relationship when it comes down to it. When you have it, you end up wanting more.
In my view it's more dangerous than any other sin b/c it has the potential to make us immune to our desire for relationship. Once consumed with power, the only thing that matter is keeping it, growing it and trusting in it. You end up relating to yourself b/c in effect you, every relationship is dominated by power, and you enjoy the power even more. That's pretty much how most psyhcos probably function - and hence the reason why some of my ancestors died ugly deaths (for the betterment of the Chinese people).
What is remarkable is that our world preaches to us that "the power is yours" & some other Eco crap like that. The fact of the matter is the power is so often not ours, although the X-box might make us feel like gods at times.
Everyone wants to be God, but in our lives and in our culture we've made our own little "power" kingdoms - supe up your car and you'll feel like a powerful god on the road, make all the money and career choices to get ahead and there's nothing you can't buy.
Either consciously or subconsciously, we're all obsessed with our power trips (be overt or not)- its not until hearts/minds/lives change that we begin to see how "power" tripped our lives are geared towards serving our own kingdom rather than God's.
The people at Gracepoint are far from immune. Who know's maybe it'll take a revival of my ancestry in me to make people realise that their little kingdom means nothing to me when my foot is on their necks above a shallow grave. Or perhaps it'll be bout of madness that woke King Nebuchadnezzar up, that'll have to infect people. Both are unlikely , but in any case people have to begin tearing down their own kingdoms and start rebuilding new Christ power centered ones in their lives.
Sad to say but the 'power' to do that isn't ours it's God's and it probably won't happen until people start praying for it from the heart. But like most people - "if I see nothing wrong with MY choice - then why should I change it? - And then you're back in the circle of your own power trip.
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