Worthless Things

A perfect specimen of strength and beauty, the horse rears--mane and tail at attention, hooves, flank and muzzle covered in aluminum foil. Wait . . . what? You, too, can be the proud owner of a 12-foot wood-carved sculpture of a horse partially covered with foil for a mere $5,000.

As we gazed at the enormous creature, a salesman mistook our dumbstruck fascination for a possible commission. "That would be a great feature in any home! We have delivery options, if that's a concern."

Delivery was the least of my concerns. Why was this poor horse covered in random places with strips of foil? What would a homeowner do with such a thing? Kids can't play on it because of its position. The spiky mane and tail look ready to cause serious harm to a child. The only place the horse could rear to its full height is in my foyer, but then we could forget about opening the front door. Again, I can't help but wonder, what's with the foil?

Bottom line: I had no use for a giant horse sculpture so no matter what price the tag displayed, it held no value for me.

Though the sculpture held no value for me, I was distracted by it for longer than I care to admit. How often are we distracted by worthless things and miss the abundant life God has for us?

"Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word." Psalm 119:37 (NLT)

I won't discount how awesome smart phones are; I love all of their features. However, how many times have I missed sharing a conversation, an encouraging smile, or a life-changing invitation to a relationship with Christ because I was staring at my phone?

How often have I missed opportunities to serve because my immediate agenda was blocking my view of someone's need? How many times have I skipped a memory-making moment with my family to watch a show?

Social media, plans, and entertainment are not inherently worthless, but will we turn our eyes from worthless things in light of abundant and eternal life through God's Word?