Then he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)
In Germany, an acquaintance showed me his new BMW he’d picked up that day. An unspoken spark jumped the cultural barriers, because we both appreciated a beautiful automobile. We walked around the sleek, black trophy with the awe reserved for cathedrals. He opened the door and invited me to sit inside, and even drive if I wanted. The smell of new car and leather was seductive, and I imagined he would name it after a swank German actress. The doors closed with a precisely fitting thud.
Let’s go back over this moment of car ecstasy with the objective eyes of a nontemporal being. Our joy over the aerodynamic lines was nothing more than biochemical traces in our brain neurons left by previous encounters with automobiles in which we were told, “This is a nice car.” The exciting aroma was the outgassing of construction materials, primarily toluene and trimethylbenzene, transmitted to our sensory nose hairs. My imaginary personification of an inanimate object was responsible for ascribing gender to the apparatus. The satisfying door closure resulted from displaced air molecules creating sonic waves that vibrated our eardrums.
Often my pleasures and comforts are just so many reactions of chemistry. To grow up into Christ means I begin to delight in pleasures that are eternal, like love and peace. As a spiritual being, I can live above the base physical elements. I need to own fewer belongings but possess greater kindness, to acquire more faithfulness before a larger estate.
How beautiful and fulfilling it is to have a portfolio of goodness, mercy, and service, and to give monetary reserves to charity. Some would say that’s an irresponsible life. I say it is reckless to live for that which produces a momentary chemical stimulus, and forgo investments into eternal love and its many dividends.
Prayer: Everlasting God, set my mind on true pleasures.