20 September 2000

The man who has everything

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Uncategorized.

I was in the bookstore the other day when I caught sight of this bold headline on a magazine cover. Football fans know the famous English striker who’s as much a celebrity as his wife ex-Spice girl, Victoria. As audacious as the claim may be, there’s no denying that the footballer is worth millions, enjoys the adoration of hordes worldwide, parties with the Queen Mother and royalty, has a beautiful wife, and even a statue with his likeness in a Buddhist temple in Thailand.

While some of us may wonder from time to time what it would be like to be rich and famous, I suspect David Beckham’s worldly wealth and fame will elude not a few of us. As I flipped through the magazine, it occurred to me that having ‘everything’ means different things to different folks. I mean having one’s statue in a Buddhist temple may not be everyone’s idea of having it all, although it’s probably alright to have one’s name inscribed on a plaque as a donor to the church building fund. But I digress.

What I am trying to say is, we all have wishes and wants, of if you prefer, “needs.” Tom Jones is my uncle if I didn’t admit I have them too. You know, respectable stuff like a comfortable home, a car in the porch, a gung-ho church, healthy family, successful career, the respect of your peers, straight A’s kids (who are oozing with talents too) and oh, a comfortable nest-egg put away for the sunset years etc.

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with all the above you understand, until you define precisely what they mean in real terms. Remember Jesus’ encounter with the devil in the wilderness? The view from the pinnacle of the temple must have been grand, but He wasn’t fooled. You see, Jesus knew what He was about and where He was going. As a homeschooler who’s known to lose sight of the fundamentals now and then, I’m reminded that it pays to take a look at the big picture. Always.

The first thing I’ve learned is, you can’t have everything.

Or rather, nobody gets all they want. And it’s not for want of money either; as they say, money can’t buy you everything. From King Solomon to the Sultan of Brunei, there’s always some things that evade possession (Solomon had thousands of concubines and wives – do you ever wonder what he was looking for?). Tragically, contentment is a lesson that is often learnt too late.

For instance, you can’t have two masters – you are only allowed one choice, God or mammon; Jesus is either Lord of all, or not at all. You can’t have God’s acceptance while holding out for the world’s approval. If you want godly kids, you’ll have to close the door to worldly influence. Sure, it’s easier said than done, but who says anything worth having comes easy anyway?

This leads to my second lesson, that is, everything has a price.

It has a lot to do with price tags of course, but most of all, it has to do with a trade-off. David Beckham for instance may grin like the King of the Hill, but he moans the loss of privacy. Fancy being trailed by the paparazzi, fans rummaging your trash for clues to your night-cap.

Back in the home, families are at odds because life seems to ask so much of every individual it’s unclear what question merits greater attention. Mum’s in a quandary - she’s not sure if her personal fulfillment or her children matters more, or if she could pursue both. Well, she’s got to find herself too hasn’t she? Dad on the other hand toils hard and long, and wishes if earning a living weren’t easier. But what about the club membership? Junior knows he’s got to go to school if he wants to go places, but no one told him about lugging around a 2-ton bag and catching the bus at 5.30 a.m.!

Building a personal empire has a price; so does building a deeper relationship with spouse or child, and most of al, with God. Traditional schooling may give a child convenient access to “education” but it comes packaged with a whole load of homework, stress and over-emphasis on exams. The trade-off to my mind is the taking away of a big chunk of what’s important. Like, the unhurried pace of growing up, the joy of learning, quality family time, or the cultivation of spiritual values. If you think homeschool is too demanding, what do you make of Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler to “sell everything you have…and come follow me?”

The issue at the end of the day is not that everything has a price, but what we’re willing to pay. The story of King David and Araunah comes to mind: Araunah was happy to let David have a piece of land for free so he could build an altar. Conscience stricken, David replied that he could not offer sacrifices to God that costs nothing (2 Samuel 24). Economics, it is said, is making choices among scarce resources. The Kingdom of God however narrows it down to two: things that draw us nearer to God, and things that keep us away from Him. Mmm decisions, decisions.

On that note we end.

As you can see, only one thing really matters.

The Psalmist’s one desire above all was to dwell in the presence of the Lord. What of Paul who considered all things “a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus”? And Martha? She may have had good intentions, but her fussing and fretting led Jesus to commend Mary for choosing the better thing.

So little time, and so many seemingly important things to take care of. How shall we choose? For Joshua, the choice was clear: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” With eternity in the balance, that makes more sense than everything else the world offers. Including all that David Beckham possesses.

0