Again, thanks to all who read. Just gettin' my thoughts out there :)
So this summer, I've really gotten to catch up on my game show watching. Welcome to jobless and unmotivated. But the other day when going through my typical lineup on the game show network, I noticed something...a difference. At 6:30, a show called Baggage came on. It's basically the dating game with a twist. You have 1 bachelor(ette) and 3 suitors, if you will. The twist is that with each "round" the 3 suitors reveal a secret about themselves such as "I have 15 dogs" or "I refuse to have sex before marriage" (which I find an absolute tragedy that a principle so Biblically-grounded is considered baggage in this day and age. Awful.). And based on how much "baggage" they think they can handle, the person will pick someone to go out on a date with them. That's the gist of it. Sometimes I don't even know why I watch it...but I get giggles from it on occasion.
Then at 7:00, Deal or no Deal comes on. Hopefully enough of us have seen it to know how it works. Basically, you can win money. But I'm fairly certain that the interviewing process is pretty rigorous because they typically don't have ordinary people on the show. There's always some kind of gimmick with the contestant. One of the contestants really loved the color lime green, so they turned all the lights in the room to lime green and the models' dresses were lime green. But Deal or no Deal really goes out of their way for contestants they feel are really deserving. One person had 3 goals...I forget what the first 2 were, but the last one was to fly his parents over from the Philippines because he hasn't seen them in 3 years and they hadn't met his fiancee yet. So...NBC flies them over and surprises him. Great moment.
But even more than that, some of these contestants really want to do good deeds with their money. Some people aspire to give a portion to the church or a charity. Some play for the money not for themselves but for their parents or children or siblings. Christians or not, they have noble causes and deserved to be applauded for what they aspire to do.
I found it interesting that these two shows came on one right after the other, and it brings me to the point of this note. What a difference between these two shows. First you have the ENTIRELY self-seeking show Baggage, at the end of which you end up with a girl or guy that you may not even like due to all of the dark secrets they have, and they might not even like you for your own dirty laundry. So by the end of the whole process, most of the contestants are probably left back at the same spot they were in. Then you have Deal or no Deal, arguably the most philanthropic game show out there. They go out of their way entirely to welcome in the contestant and try to encourage them as much as possible. Granted, they have the NBC financing to go along with it, but they still do it. And almost all of the contestants are respectable people with respectable goals and aspirations. By the end of the show, the contestant would hopefully walk away with a large sum of money. Of course some would go out and buy themselves a new car right off the bat...that's inevitable. But many others on that show give a large portion to other people and continue with their lives right where they left off, feeling a little more fulfilled.
I could give more examples, but the point's been made. What about us? There are two ends of this spectrum with only a little wiggle room in between. One end has the prideful man seeking to build his own empire here on earth, seeking a beautiful queen to accompany him on his throne as he rules all he surveys. The other end has the humble man who give of himself without flaunting it, all the while storing up his treasures in Heaven where they belong. I'll ask a question here...when does God ask us to be concerned with ourselves? He only warns us of ONE thing that we need to concern ourselves with, and that is fleeing from Satan. When we do that, all other things are taken care of. Wisdom comes in fleeing from Satan daily and running towards God and His provisions. Does God ask us to be concerned with finances? Jesus told his disciples to preach the message "Freely you have received, freely give" in Matthew 10:8. Does God ask us to be concerned about the future? Matthew 6:34 - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." In fact, read the last part of Matthew 6 if you feel so lead. Basically Jesus says not to even worry about food. Wow. We need food to live...and Jesus says not to worry about it. It's because when we worry about this, we're wasting our energy on trying to gratify ourselves. And yes, in the America we live in, food is more of a gratification than a need. Especially for the college kids like me who have meal plans and at least 4 different eateries ON campus. We don't need to worry about food, so why do we do it? God's commands are clear. We waste so much energy on pleasing ourselves that we forget that someone is hurting 5 feet away from us. We forget that most of our "needs" are often "wants", and there are plenty of others around us who have legitimate needs.
I know I need to evaluate myself. I've done a lot of talking but it's test time. Putting aside the context of the shows and rather the principles (seeing as how I have a loving girlfriend), am I more likely to end up on Baggage or on Deal or no Deal? I like to say that I enjoy helping others, and I do. But I don't do it NEARLY as often as I need to. Especially over the summer, I spend a majority if not all of my day pleasing myself. Playing video games, just lounging around, making myself a sandwich whenever I hear the faintest rumbling in my stomach. I may have grilled for my parents once or twice this summer, but I almost always grilled because I know I'd get good food out of it. With the lifestyle I've been living, I'd say I'm a perfect fit for Baggage. Unfortunate, because God's calling me over to change some lives on Deal or no Deal. That's where I need to be.
Father God, forgive me for my selfishness. There is so much You bless me with daily that I take for granted and use for self-gratification. Give me wisdom to act according to Your commands. Give me the courage and boldness required to live the lifestyle You would have me live. Let me use the talents and blessings You've given me as something that would benefit others. Amen.
Your turn.
So this summer, I've really gotten to catch up on my game show watching. Welcome to jobless and unmotivated. But the other day when going through my typical lineup on the game show network, I noticed something...a difference. At 6:30, a show called Baggage came on. It's basically the dating game with a twist. You have 1 bachelor(ette) and 3 suitors, if you will. The twist is that with each "round" the 3 suitors reveal a secret about themselves such as "I have 15 dogs" or "I refuse to have sex before marriage" (which I find an absolute tragedy that a principle so Biblically-grounded is considered baggage in this day and age. Awful.). And based on how much "baggage" they think they can handle, the person will pick someone to go out on a date with them. That's the gist of it. Sometimes I don't even know why I watch it...but I get giggles from it on occasion.
Then at 7:00, Deal or no Deal comes on. Hopefully enough of us have seen it to know how it works. Basically, you can win money. But I'm fairly certain that the interviewing process is pretty rigorous because they typically don't have ordinary people on the show. There's always some kind of gimmick with the contestant. One of the contestants really loved the color lime green, so they turned all the lights in the room to lime green and the models' dresses were lime green. But Deal or no Deal really goes out of their way for contestants they feel are really deserving. One person had 3 goals...I forget what the first 2 were, but the last one was to fly his parents over from the Philippines because he hasn't seen them in 3 years and they hadn't met his fiancee yet. So...NBC flies them over and surprises him. Great moment.
But even more than that, some of these contestants really want to do good deeds with their money. Some people aspire to give a portion to the church or a charity. Some play for the money not for themselves but for their parents or children or siblings. Christians or not, they have noble causes and deserved to be applauded for what they aspire to do.
I found it interesting that these two shows came on one right after the other, and it brings me to the point of this note. What a difference between these two shows. First you have the ENTIRELY self-seeking show Baggage, at the end of which you end up with a girl or guy that you may not even like due to all of the dark secrets they have, and they might not even like you for your own dirty laundry. So by the end of the whole process, most of the contestants are probably left back at the same spot they were in. Then you have Deal or no Deal, arguably the most philanthropic game show out there. They go out of their way entirely to welcome in the contestant and try to encourage them as much as possible. Granted, they have the NBC financing to go along with it, but they still do it. And almost all of the contestants are respectable people with respectable goals and aspirations. By the end of the show, the contestant would hopefully walk away with a large sum of money. Of course some would go out and buy themselves a new car right off the bat...that's inevitable. But many others on that show give a large portion to other people and continue with their lives right where they left off, feeling a little more fulfilled.
I could give more examples, but the point's been made. What about us? There are two ends of this spectrum with only a little wiggle room in between. One end has the prideful man seeking to build his own empire here on earth, seeking a beautiful queen to accompany him on his throne as he rules all he surveys. The other end has the humble man who give of himself without flaunting it, all the while storing up his treasures in Heaven where they belong. I'll ask a question here...when does God ask us to be concerned with ourselves? He only warns us of ONE thing that we need to concern ourselves with, and that is fleeing from Satan. When we do that, all other things are taken care of. Wisdom comes in fleeing from Satan daily and running towards God and His provisions. Does God ask us to be concerned with finances? Jesus told his disciples to preach the message "Freely you have received, freely give" in Matthew 10:8. Does God ask us to be concerned about the future? Matthew 6:34 - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." In fact, read the last part of Matthew 6 if you feel so lead. Basically Jesus says not to even worry about food. Wow. We need food to live...and Jesus says not to worry about it. It's because when we worry about this, we're wasting our energy on trying to gratify ourselves. And yes, in the America we live in, food is more of a gratification than a need. Especially for the college kids like me who have meal plans and at least 4 different eateries ON campus. We don't need to worry about food, so why do we do it? God's commands are clear. We waste so much energy on pleasing ourselves that we forget that someone is hurting 5 feet away from us. We forget that most of our "needs" are often "wants", and there are plenty of others around us who have legitimate needs.
I know I need to evaluate myself. I've done a lot of talking but it's test time. Putting aside the context of the shows and rather the principles (seeing as how I have a loving girlfriend), am I more likely to end up on Baggage or on Deal or no Deal? I like to say that I enjoy helping others, and I do. But I don't do it NEARLY as often as I need to. Especially over the summer, I spend a majority if not all of my day pleasing myself. Playing video games, just lounging around, making myself a sandwich whenever I hear the faintest rumbling in my stomach. I may have grilled for my parents once or twice this summer, but I almost always grilled because I know I'd get good food out of it. With the lifestyle I've been living, I'd say I'm a perfect fit for Baggage. Unfortunate, because God's calling me over to change some lives on Deal or no Deal. That's where I need to be.
Father God, forgive me for my selfishness. There is so much You bless me with daily that I take for granted and use for self-gratification. Give me wisdom to act according to Your commands. Give me the courage and boldness required to live the lifestyle You would have me live. Let me use the talents and blessings You've given me as something that would benefit others. Amen.
Your turn.
