Devotion: Life Inside The Pressure Cooker
“…I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you… and are turning to a different gospel…” Galatians 1:1-10
The problem with growing up poor is that I always envied the rich. As hard as it is to admit this, I know I’m not alone. Seriously, who has not held “the American Dream” as the goal? Part of that dream comes with the false assumption that wealth equals well-being.
When we make this leap, we begin to chase the dream. We chase wealth. And when we do this, as the Apostle Paul would say, we “turn to a different gospel.” What that meant to me was to try to go to a better college, which I was able to accomplish. I barely got in, but I loved that I went to a school in one of the wealthiest suburbs of Chicago. I was living my dream!
Around my college were amazing mansions. Everything was so well landscaped. Luxury cars filled the streets. I remember thinking to myself, “If I could only be like them, and have what they have, it would solve all of my problems.”
I worked on campus (because I had financial aid), and my job was with a Psychology Professor, who quickly turned into a mentor and friend. He had a private practice in which he provided therapy, counseling young adults and adolescents. One day he did me the favor of driving me into town so I wouldn’t have to walk. On the way we stopped at an amazing home to pick up a young person who was one of his clients. As we pulled up I said, “Sheesh, why would this kid need therapy? He’s got everything.” My mentor finished my sentence. “… everything but parents who love him.”
This was my first introduction to the concept of wealth and the pressures surrounding being only valued by what you accomplish. I remember being confused by the notion for days, and I obviously still remember that experience some 45 years later.
In her book, Never Enough, Wallace charts, through statistics and stories, how both people of means, and now many families, make their child feel as though they are only as valuable as the successes they generate. As a society, we seemingly are living out Paul’s words. We have chosen to follow some different guiding principle and are solely seeking human approval, rather than resting in God’s grace.
In my sermon this past weekend, I tried to demonstrate how our culture has changed. Even more, I empathize with the cultural phenomenon of wanting to “invest in our children.” This sounds like such a noble venture, for sure. But let us remember, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about love and not achievement. When we follow the Gospel and love well, our children know that they matter, and it is in mattering that they can love life, and not live trying to be loved.
Let us pray…
Precious Jesus, you love us so well, not based on our achievements. Help us to love ourselves and our children in this same way. Let your unconditional love rule in our lives. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Written by Pastor Greg Bouvier
Pastor Greg heard God’s call to Sheridan in 1999 and that began a journey which has become his life’s work. Having played a variety of roles as pastor of Sheridan, Pastor Greg was called as the Senior Pastor in 2011. He leads the staff and his primary focus is on the creation of culture, the overall direction of worship and partnering with our amazing team. Pastor Greg has been married to Rose for more than 30 years and together they have two servant-hearted grown children.