The World and Its Enticements Are Passing Away

From today’s reading…

Daily, if not hourly, we hear of the death of a celebrity/athlete/model/performer.

Daily, if not hourly, we hear of the relationship breakups of these same famous people.

Daily, if not hourly, we hear of the personal failings and/or financial collapses of these same famous people.

We know it’s hourly because we have notifications turned on for 30 different social media sites, news outlets, groups, pages, and chatrooms, not to mention emails, texts, and phone calls.

We shake our heads when we see these “pretty people seem to have it all…and have it all together” collapse, yet we continue to give them our time, our attention, our money, our jealousy, our envy, and even our worship.

Yes, I said worship, and I meant it.

You can’t open a laptop or turn on a smartphone without seeing people worshipping their blue or red politician, their favorite athletes on their favorite sports teams, their favorite news anchors on their favorite news channels, and their favorite models on the new calendars that have suddenly appeared on their walls.

You can’t open a laptop or turn on a smartphone without seeing some dude with a big watch—and probably a sleeve of tattoos and/or a big beard and/or he’s in flip flops and a tank top or he’s in a 3-piece suit—stepping out of a luxury car being greeted by a uniformed pilot standing at the foot of the open private jet and an inspirational quote about

• “Be a sheepdog” or

• “Lions don’t care about the opinions of sheep” or

• “Hustle your funnel hack” or some expletive-filled nonsense meant to show how tough they are.

You can’t open a laptop or turn on a smartphone without seeing some scantily-clad woman in a yoga pose on the beach with a laptop next to her and an inspirational quote about

• “This is 32” or

• “You can have it all” or

• “40 is the new 30” or

• “Living my best self” but no mention of the four cosmetic surgeries, five assistants, and 140 shots it took to get that one perfect Instagram image taken while a nanny raises her kids.

At the same time, you can’t open a laptop or turn on a smartphone without reading:

• “Whoever I end up with is going to be so &*((^%$ lucky. I’ve done so much *&^% for the wrong people, I can only imagine what I’ll do for the right one.”

• “Just remember: we’re all in this alone.”

• “Since I can’t get a hug…anyone have some positive vibes they can send my way?”

• “Forgive yourself for the survival patterns and traits you picked up while enduring trauma.”

• “Break the chain of unhealthy habits. It’s up to us to break the generational curses.” 

We’re all junkies to one degree or another.

Maybe the drug is illegal and illicit, or maybe it’s dopamine and adrenaline.

Regardless, it is up to us to break the unhealthy habits and embrace the generational blessings that have been foretold, promised, and given to us for thousands of years.

It’s time for us to finally commit to ignoring the junk and focusing on the good, the pure, the wholesome, the love of the Father, that has been freely given for the sole purpose to help us…

Stay the course. Keep the faith. Endure.