Deuteronomy 8:11-14
Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of slavery.
As I’ve talked about many times, I’ve been blessed with a number of opportunities to travel to different parts of the world on short term mission trips. I’ve come to see that one of the great benefits to visiting different parts of the world is a lowering of one’s “pleasure threshold.”
Here’s what I mean.
When you travel to a place like the Dominican Republic, as I did this past summer, you are immediately thrust into an unfamiliar world; a world without many of the assumed comforts and amenities of our lives here in suburban America. For example; relatively few homes, buildings or cars have air conditioning, so you are uncomfortably hot and sweaty most of the time. So when you do happen to go into a home or restaurant with even a modicum of air conditioning, you are profoundly grateful in a way you aren’t back home. Or take showers for example; depending on where you are staying, you might not have access to a hot shower at the end of the day, or even any running water at all. So, after several days without a shower, even a slow drizzle of cold water from a shower head feels amazing and provokes the same surge of both pleasure and thanksgiving because your “pleasure threshold” has come down!
Contrast that to life at home, where I am so used to air conditioning that if my AC goes out, as it did a couple of summers ago, I bemoan the suffering of my existence. Or if for some reason, all the hot water is gone by the time I take my morning shower, I am not only profoundly ungrateful, but feel like I’ve somehow been unjustly persecuted! That’s because I’m so used to the comforts of home that my “pleasure threshold” is set very high!
That’s because my perspective has been warped by the affluence of my culture. The Bible actually says this is a very old problem.
Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of slavery.
Do you see it? The Bible is saying that as our material blessings increase; as our wealth and possessions increase; our appreciation for those things and our appreciation for the God who gives us all things can actually decrease! In other words, as our “pleasure threshold” rises, our “thanksgiving threshold” can fall; or we can forget to give thanks altogether.
May we not be among those who are so comfortable and so satisfied that they have forgotten the Lord! Take some time this week to remember that all you have is a gift from God, and to offer him your humble thanksgiving.
Lord,
Forgive me for so often taking for granted the blessings of my life! Forgive me for selfishly expecting and even demanding comfort for myself while so many around your world struggle for survival. Teach me how to be thankful for even the smallest gifts from your hand. Teach me to remember you.
Amen
Pastor Brian Coffey
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