Variety Affliction by Brian Turner

By Brian Turner
We live in a global society. There are millions of products at our fingertips everyday. Just go to your browser and type in any product, and you will receive way more pages than you could ever scroll through. It is overwhelming. Our global society demands options. We believe we can find the exact, perfect item if we can have just enough choices. But there are so many items to choose from it's nearly impossible to make a choice. We become paralyzed drowning in a sea of options. We think multiple options give us the freedom to choose, but it actually hinders us from making a choice.
 
 
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We live in a global society. There are millions of products at our fingertips everyday. Just go to your browser and type in any product, and you will receive way more pages than you could ever scroll through. It is overwhelming. Our global society demands options. We believe we can find the exact, perfect item if we can have just enough choices. But there are so many items to choose from it's nearly impossible to make a choice. We become paralyzed drowning in a sea of options. We think multiple options give us the freedom to choose, but it actually hinders us from making a choice.
 
Now there is nothing inherently wrong with variety. Variety is good. Just look at creation. God is all about variety. I read somewhere (forgive me for not remembering the source) that there are approximately 350,000 species of beetles. Wow! Wouldn't 30,000 be enough? How about 3,000 or even 300? Apparently these numbers were not enough for the Creator. When the Divine created the first 300, it was just a warm up. God loves variety. Creativity is at the heart of Spirit.
 
This brings us to something we know all too well. There are over 6 billion people on our planet. All of them are unique. All have their own fingerprints. No one's DNA is exactly the same. The human race is diverse and filled with variety. God was not happy with just one race so several were created. But there is also variety within each race. No person in any given race is identical. The Creator values diversity. God loves uniqueness.
 
And this reality poses a problem within our global society. Consumerism perverts the natural variety and diversity, which exists in our universe. Humanity has exploited a God given gift. Since our global market is filled with so much diversity and variety in products, we have become addicted to options. We desire multiple choices, but the bottom line is that we are looking for the perfect one within the thousands of choices available to us.
 
Options Can Be Good
 
Just think about cars for a moment. There are multiple manufacturers of cars, and each manufacturer produces a variety of makes and models. Then each make and model also has a variety of options. Today, you can customize your purchase and have it your way. It is mindboggling. It is nearly impossible to pick anything.
 
Once again, options are not inherently wrong. Options can be good. At the very least, multiple options can paralyze us. Yet, all this diversity can suck us into believing our life's purpose is consumption. We try out a new car for a few months to see it if will really make us happy. When the new wears off, we purchase another. Round and round the cycle goes. The act of purchasing becomes a spiritual experience. It provides a feeling of euphoria and excitement. It is very subtle, but we begin to think the perfect product will bring us complete happiness. If we just had the right car, the right home, and the right clothes, we would be whole. It is a cycle, which never ends and always leads to dissatisfaction. Satisfaction is always elusive. Happiness is always hidden in the next product waiting for our consumption.  - or so we think.
 
Maybe you are thinking this is no big deal. This is just part of commerce. It is all part of our economy. Money needs to circulate. The economy needs to boom. And I assume this is all fine if it were really that simple. In a very real way, consumption is an addiction. It can make a few very wealthy. But it can also cause the majority to drown in debt, which is akin to slavery, or it can just keep others in poverty, which is another form of slavery.
 
This addiction to consumerism bleeds over into intimate relationships. People tend to treat others as products. The right person must be picked out of all the multiple choices we have, and this one right person we are looking for must make us happy and fulfill our every need. If we choose someone out of the 8 billion people on the planet, and we later feel they are just not providing the services we believe we need, we trade them in for a new one.
 
People are not Products
 
In western culture, dating is a shopping experience (not that dating is wrong, but the way it is practiced can be wrong). People become objects for our satisfaction. When we are in the presence of another, we want to feel a certain way, and we expect the other person to bring about those emotions. We use people. Sexually, we can use people for our own gratification and exploit their bodies and emotions for our pleasure. We approach others like they are products on a shelf, and we ask, "What can you do for me?" In the process, people are wounded deeply, and the pain and hurt is carried over to future relationships.
 
The point I am trying to make is that people are not products meant for our consumption. I know we do not realize this is what we are doing. But it is real. I can also understand why you may think I am exaggerating; however, if our eyes can be opened to such a scenario, maybe the world can become just a bit better place.
 
All life is sacred. All life possesses the fingerprint of God. We are dust, but we are filled with Spirit. We are human created in the image of the Divine.
 
What is a way forward through this maze of consuming others? I believe the words of Paul, a first-century Christian writer, give us vision to assist us in treating others as sacred instead of as products for our consumption.
 
"Don't do anything for selfish purposes but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others" (Philippians 2:3-4, CEB).
 
Namaste,
Shalom,
Grace and Peace,
 
Dr. Brian Turner
 
 
Dr. Brian Turner has been serving the Body of Christ for 29 years. He preached his first sermon at the age of 16 just after being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Brian has served in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches as well as the United Methodist Church. His ministry focuses on the believer's identity, assignment, and authority in Christ. He has a passion for the lost, hurting, and marginalized. Brian desires to teach and activate the Body of Christ into walking in the Spirit with miracles, signs, and wonders following. If you desire to maximize your spiritual growth and ability to move in the supernatural gifts of the Spirit, Brian has the message and anointing to mentor your through both his teaching and preaching. 

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