Thoughts of a Consumer/Wake Up!

I am a consumer on the way to the mall. I will covet and discuss the latest entertainment products while families in Central America move to the mountains because their homes are destroyed by consumer infested minds. I had no idea how big of an impact each decision could make until i read "Serve God Save the Planet," and although it might not have served as a direct discussion of our global impact it got me out of my seat and probing about my lifestyle.

And it all makes perfect sense.

Jesus claimed it would be extremely difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Most of us don't profess to be rich but the fact is we are in worldly standards and for that I want to reconsider my material choices.

In the heart of Dallas is a really sad city. Everything appears happy on the outside because of the overwhelming commerce but i highly doubt that many people realize how they are just living in the fast lane that eventually leads to destruction. Because everything is bigger in Texas. Having everything available right in front of you digresses one of our essential needs in life: work. We can't savor what is good and what is hard since all of life flies by on the interstate of material malls and large SUV's.

Maybe if in the beginning we were to refocus our energy instead of relying on labor saving devices we would gain practical exhaustion that can bring peace, joy and understanding. We pay big bucks for a nice lawn mower that saves time, and then we pay a fee to work out with a piece of plastic to lose the gut. It just makes more sense to make the simple decision to labor a little bit more for what is necessary, then we can celebrate in our concentrated effort by using the left over money toward a healthy cause.

I want to begin my green journey in college. It is so hard for me to make choices and not press them upon others. I can get so frustrated with systems of living I am aware of. A recognition of poverty and hunger is evident in our society but most people can't grasp that environmental decision can affect world tribulations.

Maybe I am approaching the environment wrong form the start. It is not about discussing how we are destroying as a consumer but how we are continually journeying toward asking in everything living in line with God's will.

Not, how can we stop this?, but How can we begin this?

It appears those who are aware of our environmental problem believe that mass media trying to sell right and left is simply unavoidable. What if we focus on Christ's calling, so to redirect our attention to the central spiritual energy of the sanctity of life by revolving around the relationships we have with each other? We can never stop the river of false advertising but maybe we can find a quiet cove that can eventually dam up the flow of disaster. We can change the course of history. We can enlighten others of the joy of living simply, how it can avoid the pain of cultural competition.

I think a powerful step for me is the television. Thought I have never actually been much of a TV guy avoiding it all together and diverting my energy to different causes by turing it off could alter my heart by bounds. Satan twists messages in sometimes loud but more often subtle lines on TV and i think it affects me more than I realize. On our youth group's trip to Dallas, this abstinence created numerous opportunities for genuine conversation filled with the Spirit and gave us stronger ways to have fun. TV is just another search for happiness that cannot be obtained in Earthly fashion. My cellphone and even my iPod (gasp!) could be innovative ways to fast that might bring me closer to God.

Even in music i search for the next big artist, when in all reality it is just series of sounds mixed together. I can attain those feelings in nature without a desperate search. Music in its rawest form is an abstract idea and musical melody molded together for an emotionally important effect, so if those two things are in place what do upgrades matter? My parent's generation generally only remember a handful of bands these days. I want to live like that, like history is on the line.

Tonight I want to fall asleep to melody that carries over generations and sings the song of our Lord.

"Children, wake up! hold your mistakes up! before they turn the summer into dust.." --The Arcade Fire