I was challenged recently about my real values. Just what are they? Do I realize what my life says they are? Is there something out of sync with what I believe I hold close to my heart?
It is easy to see people reaching for it all. I see the toll on human life to have a “comfortable” style of living. I watch the shattered dreams fall in the quest to reach the top of the ladder, searching beyond hope for that period of time in their life where others recognize their real abilities and standing. I wonder at the lack of ethics, morality, and self esteem given at the altar of winning. People desperately want to win regardless of the cost.
Yet I am not so sure. I see politicians stress family values and find myself believing that they want to believe. I see the sparkle in the eyes of the corporate executive when he or she is in the presence of a child and I know that this is a true gem they long for in their hearts. I have shared the angst of those who have “won” who now find themselves in a puzzle of despair they personally constructed.
We, myself included, thirst for what we do not have. Far too often we get along in around lives and find that “everything you’ve lived for, gone! All delicate and delectable luxury, lost! Not a scrap, not a thread to be found!’” (Revelation 18.13, 14) Judgment of the values put into human institutions will come, at some point! Our towers of confusion, arrogance, and pride will crumple in the face of compassion, love, and mercy.
It is easy to read the last few lines and wonder if I am crazy. There are many people that seems happy, content, and at peace in their lives of arrogance and greed. I personally find that the externals may look good, but underneath we all harbor similar fears and doubts. The common thread we hold is our longing for God and relationship, a thing of real value.
