Maximization is the term that has been on my mind as of late. Is the attempt to maximize things in and of it's self wrong? No I don't think it is. But I do think in a culture that has as it's god, money and power and notoriety, it becomes a very tricky thing to navigate...and most seem to not be able to do it well and keep their feet on the ground and their heads out of the clouds.
I also find it interesting, or at least it seems this way to me, that most of the people that live aware of the seductive nature of money, power and notoriety are usually those who don't have them. I think it was John Wesley that wrote in one of his books that he had never met anyone that was as Christ like once they became wealthy as they were when they were living a more day to day life in regards to their provision.
I myself am still of the mindset that I don't know if I could handle the changes well and maybe that is one of the points God the Father was driving home to us through the incarnation? I know I don't want power and I've never been infatuated with "famous" people, and the train wrecks that are their lives really don't seem to be something to desire. And coming to understand that money really is a form of power and the lie of it bringing some kind of security to ones life being exposed in my mind as being the lie that it is, seems to make the pursuit of it a dangerous and distracting adventure in missing the point.
I often think about the time in Israel's history after Moses led them out of Egypt and they began to grumble and complain about how bad they had it and God reveals to them his abundant provision and care by sending Manna from heaven. I also think there is a big lesson for us to learn from the story of what happened when they began to gather more than they needed for the day. It spoiled and if they ate it they would become ill.
These lyrics come to mind again and it just seems to me that escaping the "faithfully dangerous" part is an impossibility. On one side it is dangerous to the life our egos would lead us to live and on the other side it's dangerous to us.
Maybe we’re best close to the ground.
Maybe angels drag us down.
I wonder which part of this will leave a scar.
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