Pursuing the Wind

 It's summer time!  Vacations to the beach, family trips, lots of sun, unbearable heat, and ice cream and fireworks and all the things come to mind.  For me growing up, summer was usually a mix of shelling peas and watching The Price is Right with the OG Bob Barker (remember to spay and neuter your pets) with my grandparents.  Because home internet wasn't a thing, there wasn't a way for me to compare my summers with my friends except when we got back to school.  Things were so chill back then.  We had our problems but comparison and coveting wasn't really a big deal.

Flash forward to today and it's nothing but Instagram pics of everyone getting together at someone's house, going out to eat with tons of people and pictures of their food, and enough pics of toes in the sand where we want to scream, "WE GET IT!  YOU ARE AT THE BEACH!!!!"  

But I think that with those postings comes a lot of other stuff too that we don't want to admit we are also seeing. Like jealousy. Feeling left out.  Feeling not enough. Wondering why we don't have things. It's a tricky place.

See, God knew already that we were creatures of longing.  Think back to Adam and Eve...Eve was tempted and wanted more.  She had major FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) because she thought she was missing out on some major intel and just ate that apple right up and passed it along to Adam.  My guy Solomon even commented in Ecclesiastes that he had done all the things and that it was still nothing but a "pursuit of the wind".  A pursuit of the wind.  That just stuck with me.

I think a lot of times we are pursuing the wind.  We chase one thing and then *poof*...as soon as we get our hands on it, it vanishes.  It becomes longing for another thing.  And the cycle just continues.  

The problem with FOMO and wanting what others have (also known as coveting in the Bible) is that it is a perpetual feeling that we will have because we are human.  It is something that we have to give to God because it is something that we cannot fix on our own.  Paul, formerly Saul who had everything he ever wanted, was humbled and figured out that to live in contentment is the best way to live:

I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:11-13

So how do we achieve this apostle-like status of contentment? 

Well, we have to focus on a few things.  First off, is whatever you missed out on something that could lead to sinful behavior? If so, whew! Dodged that bullet!  For real though, sinful behavior leads you further away from God.  Our entire purpose of being on this Earth is to glorify him and to spread the Gospel so that no one misses out on a relationship with Him.  So think about what you missed out on and give God a big 'Thank You' for not being in a situation where you may not have had the willpower to make the right decisions.

Next, think about what God has blessed you with.  Go outside and look at the trees and the grass and the blue sky and the scorching sun.  Even if you don't have a lot of things materially, you do have that.  You have the air you breathe and thank God for that!  Take a mental inventory of what is going good in your life and start small.  Maybe you have electricity.  Some people don't.  You have Netflix? A lot of people don't. You have a cell phone and running water? You get the picture. Start being thankful for the things you do have.

Last, focus on God and your relationship with him. I got pretty down looking at social media and seeing all the great trips that my friends are going on and even some dinners that I missed out on. I focused on me for a few minutes and that was only making me upset.  So then I got up, went to the kitchen, and got out my Bible and started focusing on Him. Immediately it made all those things seem a little silly and I started to dial back in to my real life and what's directly in front of me instead of the 'perfect' lives that I am coveting (remember our vocab!) that may or may not be real. Has this taken a whole lot of practice? Heck yes. Luckily the Bible is really long.

The truth of the matter is that comparison is the thief of joy and for the most part, it is up to us to decide if we are going to have that joy stolen or not. I choose to try to fight to keep my joy through the Lord. Some days I win and some days I lose but at the end of the day, trying to be joyful and holding on to God's word is so much better than pursuing the wind.

Super real deal: The pursuing of wind can lead to anxiety, depression, frustration, and nothing that is good for you.  Those are very real feelings that can lead to very real issues like deeper depression and even suicidal thoughts for some people.  If you ever feel like you have any kind of issues with not wanting to be here anymore, or you're worried about a friend, immediately tell someone even if it feels like the scariest thing ever. If you don't have anyone to talk to, you can go here for a web chat or you can even call 1-800-273-8255. Don't be afraid to talk to someone and get the support you need. Many people struggle with this, including me. You are not alone.