“I want to wealth and luxury!” I want to be great!” “I can’t help that I desire fame and fortune”
Everything starts with desire.
The desire to have something- money, fame, impact, men or women; the desire to be something- champion, awarded, great; the desire to do something- travel, love, look your best.
Humans, creation, are predisposed to mission and we also predisposed to awe.
This means that we are wired to produce, and also wired to behold and worship greatness. This whisper from within, what placed on our hearts so that we’d find God– the most supreme power, pursue Him, in the greatest race we could ever run.
We have a cabinet of emotions to accompany us as we accomplish, fail, do or don’t. These emotions are what reveal to us what we fear, hate, love and desire.
Everything starts with desire.
To desire fame and fortune is no uncommon desire. The wealthy and famous appear to have superior lives. They are loved by millions of faces, garnered with the best fabrics, fostered like a king’s first born son.
Who wouldn’t desire this? Who would feel guilty for desiring this? At first thought, no one. We’re programmed to chase our desires, and we are programmed to admire greatness.
1+1= I can’t help that I desire fame and fortune.
However, fame and fortune is a generic dream. It’s common, nonspecific.
- This desire has no commitment to anything but an end goal.
- This desire has no boundaries, recognizes no laws.
- This desire depends on the love or hatred of others.
God-given dreams have form and fashion.
Anything that comes from God aligns with His laws, His creations, and His will. The desire solely for money and attention does not respect boundaries, there are no limits.
Without said boundaries, you’ll be led to a fool’s end- crossing yourself and ignoring your cabinet of emotions- embarrassment, guilt, shame, irritation.
An eventual disregard of self is sure and ready.
Our sanity and dignity are what keeps our feet on the ground. The desire to be grounded is not popular presently. But groundedness is a powerful thing. The connection between past, present, future, God, and self is not to be dismissed as some boring rerun from an age of the past. It is a concept that moves people from one state to another, from one stage to another.
A desire that disregards self is not a God-given dream. It’s a plague. A curse.
Continuing, this is no space to demonize fame and fortune. To possess or desire either is not a testament to your depth. Money solves problems, money brings solutions, however, it’s pursuit is turbulent if it is not restrained by the prevailing desire (to inspire, to solve problems, to trail blaze).
What lacks depth though, is the desire itself. There is no spiritual satisfacation derived from admiration from man. It only satisfies the flesh. Earth satisfies earth. Spirit satisfies spirit. Earth has a bottom. Spirit is endless.
For example, food can satisfy the earthly body but the spirit will continue to hunger, and after a given period, they body will hunger once more.
The sole desire to be rich and famous is a glass of water that fills the stomach and leave the mouth dry.
However, a God-given dream is vast and bottomless. Countless ideas, passions, and opportunities emanate from God’s well. from a God-given dream. Fame and fortune could very well come of it! But the passion, impact, and experience drive the car, not the lust for fame or fortune.
Reflection:
- why do I want fame?
- why do I want to be rich?
- what do I want to offer the world?
- is what I want to offer the best that I can offer?
- is what I want to offer a reflection of me?
- is what I want to offer a reflection of God or anything divine, or heavenly?
- is what I want to be offer a reflection of the world, or the lust within it?
God is aware of every spiritual and earthly desire we have. We can’t hide our hearts from God. Truly, wee can’t even hide our hearts from the world. There are discerning eyes that confirm the very things we attempt to conceal.
God only withholds from us what would destroy us.
Do you have a good sense of your weaknesses?
And similar to God, we should withhold from the world that which would contribute to it’s destruction.
What we offer the world must be pure.
If we take part in polluting the world, we ourselves will be contaminated.
One that desires fame or money and has obtained even a small portion of it, may advise you otherwise. But the pursuit of tangible things, earthly things lead us to our demise.
That is because the path is wide. There are many ways to get what we desire. But there are fewer ways to get what God desires for us.
1 John 2:15-17 15 vDo not love the world or the things in the world. wIf anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—xthe desires of the flesh and ythe desires of the eyes and pride of life3—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And zthe world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (ESV)