All mankind has an inborn desire for something ‘better.’ It is this ‘law of better’ that drove the early American settlers out West and astronauts into space, and drives researchers to discover the cure for cancer. But none of these pursuits will satisfy man’s desire for “better” because as Pascal said, it is “a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man” which can only be filled by God. The author of Hebrews used the word “better” 12 times, i.e., better hope, better promises, better possessions, a better country (Heb. 7:19; 8:6; 10:34; 11:16) as if speaking to this primal drive. But after we are born again, this desire doesn't stop. The Holy Spirit “keeps pressing us on to better things” (6:1, 9).
We’re all familiar with the colloquialism, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” in regard to each person’s pursuit of better things. Ironically, it seems James speaks right to it, “No sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass [on the other side of the fence]” (James 1:11). How do you measure whether you are better off than you were four years ago?
Hi Dr. Greg,
ReplyDeleteTimely post. Thanks!
"Better" by its very definition is a relative term. But it then asks, "relative to what?" And what is better? More stuff? What I would assert is that people pursue the better for a couple of reasons. One comes from a dissatisfaction with the way things are. The other speaks to a "get to get" syndrome whereby we get things / relationships in order to get happiness. The challenge with this, is that our beings were designed for heaven and eternity. Because we were designed to live there, we have different internal drives. We do not usually consciously believe that we really want peace, joy, and love. So, we trade significantly down to possess on the fleetest of terms for happiness, vainglory, and less discontentment for the here and now. And we are surprised when those traded down values do not satisfy us or last very long. We have traded Tiramisu for mud-pie and wonder why we are spitting up.
In that sense, we are like as Augustine has noted, "we shall find no rest until we find our rest in Thee."
Godspeed! Larry Q
I could not have said it 'better!'
ReplyDeleteI could not have said it 'better!'
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