God did not create us to do the easy, greedy thing but that is what American capitalism has been selling to its citizens for generations.
Marketing geniuses and sociopath CEOs have been getting rich by telling us what we deserve. And they are all easy, needy things that we have not earned.
The Wrong Rights
They are being sold to us as rights. Somehow we are supposedly justified in indulging our every selfish impulse. We, who are some of the most privileged beings ever to internet surf and remote control the planet.
We have the “right” to speak to our lights and have them come on at the right intensity for our mood. We have been sold the “right” to speak to the machine in our pockets and demand all of the information in the history of the world. We have the “right” to constant, instant entertainment and amusement to distract us from the head-throbbing job of doing, well, not very much.
Like royalty of old, we demand that the court jester come and say exactly the things we wish to hear and if we don’t get them, then “Off with their . . . Likes!” You no longer have the royal approval and are cast into the outer darkness of cancellation. Or perhaps we will send the FBI to take you to the dungeon where you will get no representation and sit, uncharged, in solitary confinement forever.
We have the “right” to Nirvana or some hellish semblance of it in very twisted minds. And if we don’t get it, we are somehow justified in burning everything down. Everything! We will get our way or you will have nothing!
That’s Not Why We Exist.
God created us to do the hard, good things that come with being responsible for a world. That’s right, I said responsible. God gave us a privilege above and beyond all others – Dominion.
We are born to privilege. We rule the earth. Period. There are no other contenders. But that means we are responsible, in every way, for what goes on here.
And it’s hard.
We Were Born For This
But God did not create us with an impossible task to overwhelm our inadequate abilities. We were designed from the ground up (literally) to have the strength and resources to handle the job. We have abilities no other earthly creature possesses.
We don’t just have one fine brain. We have the ability to communicate with endless other brains to solve seemingly insurmountable problems. Think about it. We’ve now set out sights on solving problems beyond our own planet because our problems weren’t big enough to satisfy our need to do difficult things.
We eat difficult things for breakfast.
Better Difficult Things
But God didn’t give us a set of tasks too limited to challenge us, either. The fact that we’re looking to Mars for new problems doesn’t mean all of our problems here are solved. Instead, it means that we have overlooked and jumped over some of our important jobs to find the ones we prefer.
We’d rather move on to be “gods” of the solar system instead of doing the hard jobs waiting at our door step.
Things like injustice, the real kind. Things like human trafficking and socially approved slavery in other countries, exploited by global corporations. Things like loving our neighbor and speaking the truth. Things like balancing our budgets and paying first responders. Things like helping people lift themselves out of poverty instead of paying them off to gain power.
Love – The Hard Best Thing
We have an endless supply of difficult tasks to challenge our dominion-level skills if we just refocus on the hard, good things God has told us to do. But He didn’t just tell us. He came to earth in human form and showed us what true dominion champions look like.
So, if you’re feeling annoyed with the directions Siri is giving you, if annoying Alexa no longer holds your interest, try using Jesus as an example.
And when you get done with accomplishing everything He’s got for you to do, give me a call. I’ve got a list.
Or maybe we should start with my wife’s list . . .
