Nasty Habits of the American Dream

Shoes tied and sunscreen applied, our squad was ready to adventure together on a hike through the desertous mountain ridges of Kyrgyzstan. We embarked together through the dried river bed that led to our yurt camp. Some immediately ran to the ridges; others stayed in the valley. Some found new trails; some decided to put their rock climbing abilities to the test. In a matter of minutes, our large group had found itself spread thin. I was one of the few that chose to stay in the valley amongst the shade and the wildflowers, but I made sure not to stop and rest in the breezy shade or smell the vibrant wildflowers because it would cost me too much time. I was determined to see what was at the end of the hike and meet everyone there.

There were some other people walking alone, but they were going too slow for me, so I pressed on without them. I saw some small dots of people ahead and increased my pace to catch up with them. They were walking reasonably fast, so I decided to stay with them. It was nice to have company for those few minutes, but inevitably we passed by a cavernous pathway that led deeper into the mysterious canyon. The group excitedly decided to explore while I continued ahead with urgency. I had a slight sense I was missing out, but ultimately I didn’t want to miss what was in store at the end.

There was nobody before me or behind me. Nobody around. The steps of my shoes crunching against the riverbed was the only sound. Until, to my surprise, a squadmate came crumbling out from behind one of the walls of the canyon. I wondered what her curious eyes had just seen beyond the tall rocky walls. As we continued on together, she told me all about it. “I’m excited to see what is at the end of the hike, ” I said with confidence. She looked at me slightly confused and said, “There is no end to the hike. We’re just out here exploring and then meeting back at base camp.”

I said no to resting in the Lord, enjoying the wildflowers, seeing people, and adventuring new unknowns with the Holy Spirit. All for what? All for some kind of grand ending? What was I even chasing?We do this a lot in our culture. These are the nasty habits of the American dream:

1. WORKAHOLIC

Rest is something we feel we have to earn. If we slow down for even a moment, we believe that we aren’t doing enough to reach our goals. Resting in the Lord isn’t a suggestion, it’s a command! We’ve made the words “rest” and “lazy” synonyms, and we must recognize the difference.

2. PREOCCUPIED

We put the things we enjoy on the back-burner. Work hard now, and we will do the things we enjoy later. We have a more intense desire for achievement than we do for the things we love. The things that make our hearts happy are no longer as important as the things that make our wallets happy. At the end of the day we sit rich with money yet robbed of passion.

3. BLIND

Unless people are in our church group or work groups, we don’t see them. We no longer even know our own neighbors’ names. We will see sad, homeless, and hurting people, and we will pass them by because they don’t fit our schedule or budget.

4. DEAF

How many times a day have we ignored the promptings of the Holy Spirit because it’s too out of the way? Even better question, when was the last time you felt the Holy Spirit prompt you? Perhaps we have been so set in our own schedules and routines that he has simply given up asking.

One day we will be lying on our death bed reflecting on our lives. When you look back, will you see a life that knew rest or strife? Will you have spent more time doing the things you enjoyed or things you felt you HAD to do? Will you be surrounded by loving relationships, or does your legacy end with you? Will your children see a life that yielded to the Holy Spirit, or will they see a life that had its own way?

Choose rest.

Choose passion.

Choose people.

Choose his promptings.