Carolyn Carney
Striving for the Kingdom: Are you a Consumer or a Citizen?
"And do not keep striving for what you are to eat what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12: 29-31
In a rephrasing of what is familiar from Matthew’s gospel, Luke phrase captures my attention here: strive for his kingdom.
What is the kingdom and how do we strive for it? God’s kingdom is about the restoration of his intentions to all the broken relationships that occurred at the Fall: God to humankind, person to person, people to creation. In this restoration relationships are whole, things work the way they were intended to be at the creation. We strive for the kingdom by loving our neighbors as ourselves and by caring about the situations that our neighbors find themselves in.
But recently I have found myself asking: Are we citizens of God’s Kingdom, striving for that kingdom, or are we merely consumers? A citizen, a good citizen, works toward the betterment of society. A consumer is mostly concerned for bettering their place in society by getting what they think they need.
When it comes to buying stuff, by and large, I don’t think we North American Christians are much different than those outside the church. Compare some of these statistics. The U.S. spends $8 billion annually on cosmetics (United National Development Report (1998, www.globalissues.org) and in 2005 spent $1.4 billion on PC games and $24 billion on home video purchases and rentals (The NPD Group statistic). The price tag for clean water and sanitation for all in the world? $9 billion. Or basic health and nutrition? Only $13 billion. (UNDR)
Ok, yes, I have a computer, I rent DVDs and I’ve been buying Oil of Olay since college. The point for us as Christians in North America is to distinguish between what is a legitimate need and what is desirable. And perhaps in the “desirable” category, it is most important to ask, “Why do I want this?” If we made more of a conscious effort to waste less of our “disposable income” on ourselves and invest it in the betterment of God’s kingdom we might look more like citizens than consumers.
Strive for his kingdom. A kingdom person does not store up things that will rust, break and be eaten by moths. A kingdom person does not worry about what his neighbor has (The contemporary antithesis to this is:
“Oh, this commercial says that my life will be better if I have a new car…or jewelry…or better-tasting pancake syrup…so I better go out and get me some. Or better yet, let me just hop on the internet and have it delivered to my doorstep!)
Last year, I was frequently jarred by the television commercials CNN ran during breaks in the Tsunami coverage. While watching horrendous pictures of Indonesia’s poor fighting tooth and nail just to survive, it seemed so frivolous to hawk things such as dishwashers, new cars, beer, and every pharmaceutical product you could name from acne creams to wart removers, and depression medication to ED pills. How could anyone be convinced at this moment in time that the proper use of money was to indulge in something to meet a personal need? But we often go shopping to feel better, don’t we? When we do so, we retreat into our personal world of consumerism and forsake the call of God to be a citizen.
When taken to extremes, this type of consumerism—going out and shopping in order to feel better about ourselves or our situation—becomes a mask, insulating ourselves from whatever may be harmful outside and protecting us from others.
If I have something shiny and new I won’t feel so bad about the situation in the world. Or if I gather enough stuff around me, folks won’t know how really broken I am. Robert Mulholland writing in The Deeper Journey (IVP), refers to this mask as the “false self.”
“Whenever something of our identity and value is grounded in our possessions, those possessions must always enhance our false self and its position in the world. Merely having enough is never sufficient when others have more. Having a standard brand is never enough when others have superior brands. Having the old model is never enough when the “new, improved model” is now available.”
And this is the temptation for those who desire to be citizens of God’s Kingdom but often hear the allure of all that is shiny and new. If I can ground my identity solidly on being a child of God, who is shaped by the fruit of the Spirit, then perhaps this gives me what I need to fight the temptations confronting the consumer on a daily basis.
Do we see ourselves as autonomous, free, unattached beings who of course, as Christians, seek obedience in matters of piety, but see little connection or calling to serve brothers/sisters/neighbors around the corner or around the world? We have failed to understand the gospel’s message when we sacrifice becoming a Godly Citizen seeking to bring restoration to all the world for the cheap substitute of being a Morally Good Consumer.
So the next time you are seeking to upgrade your computer or cell phone or iPOD or house or car, first ask “Can I live without this?” Then ask, “Why am I seeking an upgrade? Is there something missing in who I view myself to be that I believe will be filled if I have this?”
Then read Donald Kraybill’s words from The Upside- Down Kingdom (Herald Press): “God’s love for us transforms our economic behavior. Mercy, not accumulation, becomes our new yardstick for measuring success. Generous giving replaces conspicuous consumption. Loving God with all our hearts means loving our neighbors as much as ourselves.”
Ask God what would be the best use of the resources he’s given. Listen for the answer. Seek wise counsel where applicable. And then make your decision.
And through the process remember: A good neighbor strives for the kingdom.
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