The quest for more (part 2)

For the first part to this post, see “King James? Or James El Rey?"

I feel like I should start by clarifying my problem. I’m not mad at Shaquille O’Neal for making more than Tuvalu. Ultimately, it’s not really his fault. I’m also not really concerned with whether European basketball threatens the NBA’s dominance on the world. I have opinions on the matter, and much more can be written, but that’s not really the point of these posts. (In fact, I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this. I just know that something strikes me about this whole scenario, and I feel the need to express what seems like an all too familiar trend. After all, what good is a blog if you can’t write stuff like this? :-) These are not complete thoughts; they’re really more the start of a discussion. Feel free to chime in. But back to “the point.”)

The point lies beneath the surface, and the NBA is just one of the many areas where it manifests itself. It is a pervasive idea that undergirds almost every business model and personal financial plan in this country. It is the insatiable and inherently unattainable quest for one thing: more.

Everyone in America may like what they have, but what they really want is more. Sure, Donald Trump’s got a lot of cash. But why does he keep building hotels and casinos? He wants more. Maybe he has to take in a lot of cash to maintain that dying animal on his head he calls a haircut. Or maybe it’s just that he’s not satisfied with what he has. Maybe it’s not even money that he wants more of. Maybe it’s fame … prestige … power. It’s a rabbit trail that has no end.

This is the issue with these pro athletes. The guys I mentioned in the last post make PLENTY of money, and most have plenty of prestige and fame. They don’t need more money. They just want it. Sure, you get your taxes taken care of in Europe, and the team typically provides a house and a car. But come on. Are these guys really struggling to pay their mortgages? They don’t care about a house payment. They care about more. LeBron James isn’t thinking about playing in Europe cause he needs the cash. He’s said that he would entertain these offers in order to make a statement – to brand himself as a global icon. He’s already one of the most recognizable figures on the planet. But he wants more.

It’s not just in the billionaires, either. It’s right around the corner, in your own neighborhoods. People want more money so they can have bigger houses, nicer cars, more stuff. Why? They probably couldn’t tell you. They just want it. Sure, that stuff brings a level of comfort, but are they really uncomfortable where they are? And if so, isn’t it really due mostly to a comparison with people that have more? I know I’m not dissatisfied with my ’97 Nissan Maxima until I see one of my friends with a 2007 BMW. Then all of a sudden I’m not so “comfortable” anymore.

I just bought a new iPhone 3G about a month ago. Why? I have no idea. Steve Jobs told me to, I guess. It’s not that it’s not cool, or useful. It is. I love it. But why did I buy it? I really have no answer, other than to say that I wanted it. Which begs the question, why did I want it? The answer to that is probably a little less comfortable.

Please understand – there’s nothing inherently wrong with buying an iPhone, or wanting a nicer house or car. There are plenty of times when the Lord blesses us with financial benefits that can be used for our own pleasure and enjoyment. What I’m more concerned with is the attitude that underlies everything. So often we just want more for more’s sake. What sense does that make? Where is that in a biblical worldview? And more practically, where does it end?

God typically does not take kindly to those who squander wealth in frivolity and lavishness while people go hungry and lack basic human needs. Deuteronomy, for example, mandates several provisions for the people of Israel to take care of those in need in their community. The Lord saw this quest for more imbedded in human nature and expected his covenant people to rise above it. I believe he asks his new covenant people, the church, to do the same thing.

At this point I suppose I could go into a rant about how Jesus is the answer to our quest for more, and that he is the only one that truly satisfies. But I kinda hate that, to be honest. It’s not that there’s not an element of truth in it, it’s just that I hate trying to make Jesus fit in a Sprite commercial – like he’s the one that truly quenches your thirst for more toys. He doesn’t. If you are obsessed with a desire to have more on this earth and find true satisfaction and happiness in it, you will find Jesus fantastically disappointing. He won’t give you more, he’ll ask you to be content with less. It’s not that he wants to make you miserable, but he certainly doesn’t want you getting fat off your own blessing.

The truth is, true satisfaction really is found in Jesus, but it’s not the same satisfaction we search for. He won’t provide the answer to your quest for more, because there is no answer. It’s a bogus quest. In fact, in many ways, Jesus offers a respite from satisfaction itself. He offers a way out of the rat race for more by reorienting our focus. We no longer have to scramble to build and maintain our own kingdom out of the fool’s gold of this world, but instead we can follow him in building God’s kingdom on earth – a kingdom that is built on a sure foundation and will never fade.