As men we all strive for great things. We are all born with an innate desire to succeed at a high level. The question that I have is why are so many willing to sacrifice so much to chase this "American Dream"?
Let me tell you a story about Jim, his family, and his quest for the "American Dream".
Jim is a very successful business man. He works all the time, frequently working long hours and on the weekends. He even takes his work home with him. He never takes time for fun, for his family, for his friends, and most importantly, Jim doesn't take time for God. Jim constantly tells himself that next week I will take some time off or that next year we will go on that vacation. Time passes and Jim never follows through with these plans. He is so consumed with getting his 'castle' built and his territory established.
When you ask Jim why he works so hard he will quickly tell you that he does all this for his family. So that his kids can have it better than he did but all his son wants is to play catch in the yard and his daughter just wants a tea party with Jim and her closest 50 stuffed friends. He wants his wife to have the things she deserves. A huge house, new clothes, a new car every 2-3 years, and new jewelry. Jim thinks it's the "things" that keep her happy when truthfully all she wants is for Jim to listen to her and take an interest in her and their children.
Time goes by and Jim has stepped on everyone that should happen to cross his path towards his "American Dream". Jim has gotten quite comfortable with his position and decided he has climbed high enough for a man his age. He has decided to slow down a bit and spend time with those kids we spoke about earlier. Well, they are teenagers now, and neither one wants to spend time with their father. His son has long ago decided that Dad just doesn't care about him. And if he did then he would have came to his baseball games or just taken him fishing when he asked him to. His daughter is trying desperately to find the love and attention that she has missed from her own father. She looks for it in the boys that she dates, allowing them to use her for their own personal desires, hoping that they will fill the void in her life and in her heart. His wife, we she has long ago checked out of the relationship with Jim. While she doesn't believe in divorce, she doesn't feel the same "love" she had for Jim early in their marriage. They have slept in separate bedrooms for a few years now and just don't communicate at all.
Jim is just now slowly realizing that all the years of neglect and his thirst for the 'things' in this life has done the opposite of what he wanted it to do. As he lies awake in his bed, alone, he cries out to God and tells Him that he would give up everything to just go back and do it all over again. Ultimately, Jim is all alone and he doesn't understand why it has turned out like this.All Jim's family really wanted was him and his time.
It is often said that "Who ever dies with the most toys wins!" then why does Jim seem so unhappy? Why has his life turned into a complete nightmare? On the outside I am sure that his family looks like a picture perfect family when in reality they are not a family at all. Our boy Jim built his "dream" on sand instead of on a 'rock'.
Now this whole story has been completely fictional. But I would venture to say that this is going on all over America. There are homes where mom and dad don't talk to each other, the families don't communicate, and ultimately don't stay together.
When we build our hopes and dreams on things that won't last we are destined to end up unhappy and spiritually bankrupt. Jesus speaks on this in Matthew 7:24-27:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
I remember as a young boy hearing this story in Sunday School and thinking to myself, "what a moron! Who would build a house way up on a rock? I mean doesn't everyone want to live on the beach!" Oh to be young and ignorant. I had completely missed the point of this story.
We are to build our lives on a rock. A rock that will provide a stable foundation and protect us from the storms of life. Jesus is that rock. He is the rock and the foundation that we can build a lasting life. Our lives will be richer and more meaningful when we build on His foundation.
I pray that I never build my house, my hopes, or my dreams on the 'sand' but rely on the 'rock' to stabilize and guarantee my future.
Let me tell you a story about Jim, his family, and his quest for the "American Dream".
Jim is a very successful business man. He works all the time, frequently working long hours and on the weekends. He even takes his work home with him. He never takes time for fun, for his family, for his friends, and most importantly, Jim doesn't take time for God. Jim constantly tells himself that next week I will take some time off or that next year we will go on that vacation. Time passes and Jim never follows through with these plans. He is so consumed with getting his 'castle' built and his territory established.
When you ask Jim why he works so hard he will quickly tell you that he does all this for his family. So that his kids can have it better than he did but all his son wants is to play catch in the yard and his daughter just wants a tea party with Jim and her closest 50 stuffed friends. He wants his wife to have the things she deserves. A huge house, new clothes, a new car every 2-3 years, and new jewelry. Jim thinks it's the "things" that keep her happy when truthfully all she wants is for Jim to listen to her and take an interest in her and their children.
Time goes by and Jim has stepped on everyone that should happen to cross his path towards his "American Dream". Jim has gotten quite comfortable with his position and decided he has climbed high enough for a man his age. He has decided to slow down a bit and spend time with those kids we spoke about earlier. Well, they are teenagers now, and neither one wants to spend time with their father. His son has long ago decided that Dad just doesn't care about him. And if he did then he would have came to his baseball games or just taken him fishing when he asked him to. His daughter is trying desperately to find the love and attention that she has missed from her own father. She looks for it in the boys that she dates, allowing them to use her for their own personal desires, hoping that they will fill the void in her life and in her heart. His wife, we she has long ago checked out of the relationship with Jim. While she doesn't believe in divorce, she doesn't feel the same "love" she had for Jim early in their marriage. They have slept in separate bedrooms for a few years now and just don't communicate at all.
Jim is just now slowly realizing that all the years of neglect and his thirst for the 'things' in this life has done the opposite of what he wanted it to do. As he lies awake in his bed, alone, he cries out to God and tells Him that he would give up everything to just go back and do it all over again. Ultimately, Jim is all alone and he doesn't understand why it has turned out like this.All Jim's family really wanted was him and his time.
It is often said that "Who ever dies with the most toys wins!" then why does Jim seem so unhappy? Why has his life turned into a complete nightmare? On the outside I am sure that his family looks like a picture perfect family when in reality they are not a family at all. Our boy Jim built his "dream" on sand instead of on a 'rock'.
Now this whole story has been completely fictional. But I would venture to say that this is going on all over America. There are homes where mom and dad don't talk to each other, the families don't communicate, and ultimately don't stay together.
When we build our hopes and dreams on things that won't last we are destined to end up unhappy and spiritually bankrupt. Jesus speaks on this in Matthew 7:24-27:
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
I remember as a young boy hearing this story in Sunday School and thinking to myself, "what a moron! Who would build a house way up on a rock? I mean doesn't everyone want to live on the beach!" Oh to be young and ignorant. I had completely missed the point of this story.
We are to build our lives on a rock. A rock that will provide a stable foundation and protect us from the storms of life. Jesus is that rock. He is the rock and the foundation that we can build a lasting life. Our lives will be richer and more meaningful when we build on His foundation.
I pray that I never build my house, my hopes, or my dreams on the 'sand' but rely on the 'rock' to stabilize and guarantee my future.
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