Have you ever noticed that as we go through life we get increasingly harder to impress?
Fireworks is one area where I struggle with that. I was on a ship in New York harbor for the 4th of July in 1986 when the Statue of Liberty was rededicated after her two year renovation. I saw the laser beam shoot across from Governor’s Island to the statue to kick off the fireworks display when President Reagan gave the signal.
Then I saw the entire New York City skyline (complete with the Twin Towers) disappear behind a wall of fireworks. Fantastic. Impressive. Breathtaking. I really can’t find the right words to describe how wonderful it was that night looking over the rail of the ship across the harbor, hearing an entire city cheer at the incredible explosions of color and light.
Compared to that night most fireworks displays are… nice.
Part of the trouble is that I am a child of the MTV generation: Too much is never enough.
Do you struggle with that kind of thing at all? Maybe the words of the prophet Haggai apply to you:
This is what the LORD Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!
Left on our own we have an ever increasing appetite for more and more. It makes us ugly. And it never really satisfies.
J. Paul Getty, the billionaire businessman, reportedly answered the question how much is enough with these words: Just a little more.
Our own nature puts us on a gerbil wheel that we can’t get off.
Fortunately for us Jesus offered a way off the wheel.
But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.
Imagine getting off the wheel and leaving the MTV generation behind! That idea is worth looking into, don’t you think?
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