He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
James 1:18 NLT
A while ago my husband and I were enjoying dinner at our house with one of my husband’s friends when he asked a question I didn’t know how to answer. Partway through dinner our friend looked over at our china cabinet and asked about the three different sets of family china I have displayed. I told him the short story. There are three sets of china: one from my paternal grandmother, one from my maternal grandmother, and one from my maternal great grandmother. Since I only ever knew my paternal grandmother, these dishes form a connection between me and the grandmothers I never knew.
Our friend commented on how china was one of the prized possessions of the previous generations and I agreed. I was thinking about how my grandmother had told me about picking out her china pattern on her 20th wedding anniversary. Our friend asked, “What do you think is the china of our generation?” What is the possession that we toil after, work for, and cherish? What a great question, and a perplexing one…
I have given this matter some thought and I don’t know that my generation has one concrete thing that is our “china.” I think my generation’s prized possession is simply more. We want more. We want more money, more fame, more experiences, bigger houses, new electronics—we have become gluttons for more. If pressed for one item that I would say my generation prizes, I would say electronics—our computers and phones.
I look at the degradation that the past two generations have seen—while it’s true that there is nothing inherently noble about the collection of china, there was still something about my grandmother smiling as she told me about how she waited while they worked and saved for the nice set of china. There is something heartwarming about how she looked forward to passing it down to a younger generation that she hoped would use and enjoy it. What is my generation’s prized possession? Do we plan on passing down anything? We rush for the newest and latest thing and indeed, our electronics only last for a few years before becoming totally obsolete. We have wrapped ourselves up in a frenzy of pursuing things that will hardly bring any lasting joy because they themselves don’t last. Yet many of us rush and work for what? Richard Foster observed, “In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in ‘muchness’, and ‘manyness’ he will rest satisfied.” We aren’t sure but we know we want “more” than this. More than our parents, and more than our grandparents.
What a trap we have fallen into—when more is our pursuit, there will always be more to aspire to. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t aspire to use our gifts well, it is our duty to use the well, but when our focus is always on achieving the bigger thing, we can never be content where we are. And when our focus is on things, we miss the people who really matter. We miss the relationships that really matter, including our relationship with God.
James 1:18 says that we are God’s prized possession—out of all creation He loves us best. How many of us live like that? How many of us love God best, and our fellow humans second best? How many families are torn apart due to the pursuit of more—more credentials, more money, more fun, more happiness when the life we have achieved hasn’t brought with it the “happiness” we thought it would? Patience, kindness, self-control—these are the virtues we would be better off chasing. Finding joy in using our God-given abilities—that would light us up! We would feel more fulfilled if we would pour more time and energy into the people in our lives, taking care of relationships. That is a good use of time. We must keep an eye on what our eventual earthly goals are as we keep Christ in the forefront of our lives, that is what the Bible says comprises a well-lived life, living for Christ and others rather than the pursuits of our flesh.
While I will always cherish my family china, I want it to serve as a reminder, not of the stuff my ancestors amassed while on this earth, but of the values and relationships that have enriched my life thus far. What about you? What possessions do you hold dearest and why?