I Wanted More

Matthew 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

I'm listening to Taylor Swift and I'm in one of those inspirational moods...

Lucky you! Heehee.

Tell me if you can relate to me when I say this: I've wanted more that I do not need. Remember a few blogs back when I wrote about materialistic desire? It's a part of everybody. I've seen girls at school walking around with a sleek new Coach purse, or a pair of amazing designer sunglasses, maybe a Tiffany's ring, a brand new sports car...yup. It's easy to long for beautiful things that you don't have.

Have you ever seen that MTV show, Super Sweet 16? Where the birthday girl has a mega-expensive party, and always gets this brand-spankin'-new car with a big red bow on it? And the girl acts all surprised, and her classmates are all "I WISH I WERE HER!"

Give me a break.

There was a point, pretty recently in my life, where I'd find myself wishing I had things other girls had. For example, lets say, back when I was in high school I wanted a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses.

Those are the exact pair. Last year they were reaaaally cool, and I had a friend in Virginia that had this pair. I really liked the way they looked, plus, since they're designer they kind attact a little extra attention. I never had a pair of expensive sunglasses before, I would look at them online and think about how killer I would look at the beach with those on.

For my 18th birthday my mom got them for me! They were pricey, so it was my main big gift (she got me earrings and a ring besides the glasses) and it wasn't until after I had them that I realized that they really did make me look kinda cool...but they didn't make people like me. Sure, maybe when I wore them to marching band practice people noticed them, but they didn't make me any friends.

So when I see a girl my age driving a sweet car...I know that it's the car I like, not her. Now, if I met Sweet Car Girl and she was awesome, then perfect! I like her. Not just her car.

Main point: The only thing you can take to Heaven is yourself.

You can't take your dimond earrings to Heaven with you. It's important to be known for YOU, never "the girl with the car" or "the girl with the Channel heels" or "the girl with the amazing clothes". Think! How much better would it be to be known as "the girl with the contagious laugh" or "the girl who is always smiling" or "the girl who is really genuine"

Yeah, there are going to be people out there that won't notice your awesome qualities.

Do you REALLY want to be friends with those people?!

In high school, I was big into the marching band, and I had tons of "friends" that would only say rude "jokes" to me, or make fun of me, whatever. I grew to have little tolerance for that garbage. Make friends with people who notice your Godly qualities.

People that notice those qualities won't care what car you drive, if you even have a car, or if your bedroom furniture is miss-matched, or if you bought your backpack and hoodie from Wal-mart.

WHO CARES?!

If you can't afford clothes from stuck-up mall retailers, who cares? Make your $15 pair of jeans from the clearence section of Target AMAZING by wearing your confidence on your sleeve. Don't resent your parent or guardian just because they can't give you a Prada handbag for Christmas. If you're going to resent them, have a real reason.

This past semester I did some volunteering at a couple of churches handing out free food to people in need. Wow, what an experience. Never in my life have I felt so thankful for what my parents have provided for me. Just think of what it would be like to not have a bed to sleep in, or shoes that fit. I remember taking a quick break from handing out food with my roommate to walk to my car and put our hoodies away since we weren't cold...and I looked at the line of people that had their belongings in shopping carts. The lucky ones had run down cars that were probably twice as old as I am. There I was, clicking the buttom to unlock my car, which is a mere 6 years old. And I would admire newer cars? It wasn't until then that I gave myself a mental slap in the face and felt on the verge of tears, thinking of how grateful I am to my parents, who provided me with so many things I didn't even have to work for.

You get caught up in the rush. You think you deserve everything you have. Remember that we're nothing without Jesus Christ...so what makes us think we deserve millions if we don't honestly work for it? The Bible says lots of things about riches. I've read stuff against it, and stuff about how God has blessed someone to have wealth. It's not a bad thing to be blessed. Just remember you're everything you are under God's grace and mercy.

Okay! Movie suggestion time! If you haven't seen The Blind Side yet, you have to see it! This movie goes perfectly with the theme of this post. Plus, Sandra Bullock is beast. In a feminine way, that is. If that's possible.

So! What I want to convay is not that luxurious material things are evil, no.

The way I think about it is...all my "expensive material belongings" need to play a part in me pursuing a genuine lifestyle. My car takes me to work, school, church, out to spend time with my equal-minded friends. My pearls from my dad and aquamarines from my mom are things I can wear that remind me of my graduation (since they were my gift). My Ray Ban sunglasses remind me how much my mother is willing to spend to make me happy on my birthday (when really, just spending time with her made my happy enough). My clothes...well, I work for those, and spend my own money on them. But never would I ever trade any of those things for the meanings behind them.

It doesn't hurt to find a way you can help out people that don't have the means to live a good quality of life. You don't have to change the world...just aim toward one person at a time if you need to, you'd still make a difference. If you know a girl at school that lives in povery...share with her. The most valuable things you can give someone is your time and effort. Show her you care by inviting her to sleepover, or go to the beach, or come over and paint nails together. I promise, it would be hard for someone to forget you once you've shown them such kindness.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.