Theme of the Week: You Are What You Do: Lies About Work, Life, and Love
Bible Verse: “Can one say about anything, ‘Look, this is new’? It has already existed in the ages before us.” Ecclesiastes 1:10
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:8-11
This lie that we are what we experience isn’t fair because the odds are stacked against us. While it’s great that social media gives us the opportunity to stay connected with our friends and family, our perception of reality gets distorted the longer we spend on it.
It’s impossible not to compare! Our perception of their reality is distorted, since we only see the good times they’re experiencing. After all, who takes a photo of their past-due bills?
Comparison is a zero-sum game. And underneath it all, there is no end to this lie. There is always more comparison. Instead of quenching the flames of jealousy and envy in our hearts, experiences end up fanning them. Because once the experience is over, it’s over. Sure, you can buy a souvenir or make a scrapbook to commemorate that experience, but that’ll only last so long until you want another experience, another high.
King Solomon wrote that jealousy is the very thing that drives our grinding, hustling, striving, and working. After building his life on this shaky foundation and getting to the top – having experienced everything that there is to experience – he responded with these words: “All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing.”
Experiences are temporary, and a life driven to get more, do more, and have more experiences will only lead you further down a path that you might already be familiar with – a life filled with jealousy and envy.
Excerpted with permission from You Are What You Do by Daniel Im. Copyright 2020, B&H Publishing Group.
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