As I was soaking in some reading during my 7 month old son's nap time, I came across a wonderful line about how coveting is deeply connected to feelings of unhappiness with our lives.
Rob Bell writes, "Coveting is the disease of always wanting more, and it's rooted in a profound dissatisfaction with the life God has given you. Coveting is what happens when you aren't at peace." (Rob Bell, Love Wins, p. 41)
When I read this, my first thought was 'Wow, coveting is like a slap in the face to...God! How awful of us!'
How can we not covet, though, when there are billboards and internet ads constantly trying to convince us that we really do need the latest shoes, iPod, car, even...washing machine? It seems like everywhere we go there are little voices following us declaring that our life just isn't good enough as it is -- that we need more and then our life will be satisfactory...that is, until the next model comes out in a couple of months.
And they're right. Life isn't good enough as it is.
Our lives are missing something far more important than concert tickets or a cell phone case. Maybe the dissatisfaction about the life God gave us is deeply connected to a suffering relationship between us and God. Maybe we need more of Him and we know it except we turn the volume down on that news blast when we want to spend one more hour surfing the web for the best deal on a designer handbag. So, prayer gets forfeited another day and we get the product for what? So that someone will notice and tell us 'I love your purse!'?
What if we spent time, instead of money, working on our prayer life, resting in the quiet stillness of God or even rejoicing in his abundant grace? Preparing ourselves for happiness that lasts forever, instead of just a season.
It might just be the best investment we ever make.
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