A sports reporter talked with the wife of a New York Yankees ballplayer who had just signed an $89 million contract. He had held out for a long while before signing, hoping that the management would match the $91 million offer of another team. The Yankees did not budge. His wife later said, “When I saw him walk in the house, I immediately knew that he had not succeeded in persuading them to move up from eighty-nine to ninety-one million. He felt so rejected. It was one of the saddest days of our lives.”
Where do I sign up for that kind of rejection?
We ache for more. I haven’t met anyone who wasn’t touched by this dis-ease. Not one. Contemporary folk singer, David Wilcox, sings:
No there’s never enough.
I mean, even when I’ve got everything I need,
I can tell myself times are tough.
No there’s never enough.
Our discontent touches more than our income. In Luke 12:15, Jesus told us to “be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” All kinds—
More recognition.
More appreciation.
More exposure.
More power.
And what have these cravings done to us? For one, they’ve kept us from just enjoying our God-given talents. Ecclesiastes 5:18 (NASB) says, “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor.” I love that scene in Chariots of Fire when Olympic runner Eric Liddel explains his love of running: “God made me fast! And when I run, I feel His pleasure!” Discontent can rob us of experiencing the simple joy of a job well done.
Two, discontent can keep us from living a balanced life. We know that we’re to give attention to more than just our work, but the gnawing craving of ambition can cause us to focus exclusively on work to the neglect of our health, our family, our spiritual development, and the care we should show to our neighbors.
Three, raw ambition can lead us to make questionable ethical choices. We end up using people, coloring the truth, and skirting the edge of honor in the pursuit of whatever it is we think will make us happy.
Serious stuff. That’s why this Sunday we’re going to look at how to wean our soul from such corrupting cravings. We’re going to learn how to pray the prayer of Psalm 131 at Hillcrest this Sunday at 10am. See you on campus or online.
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.