Blessed Are the UnsatisfiedНамуна

The Blessing of Perspective 

I’ve never been a big shopper. Perhaps this is partly because I grew up in a family that never had money to spare; recreational shopping was not part of my experience at all. And when I hung out with friends at the mall as a teenager, or went shopping with girls who had money to burn, it wasn’t much fun. In fact, I didn’t like the way it heightened my longing for what was out of my reach. I also hated the sense of overstimulation—the constant marketing appeals, the noise, the competition for my attention.

I still don’t like those feelings, even though I no longer live in poverty. So you won’t see me blowing my budget at the mall or browsing the racks for things I don’t need. 

But thanks to online shopping, I finally personally understand the allure of acquisition. I have found a form of shopping that is tailor-made for busy introverts. In fact, if you were to spy on me in my home (and I sincerely hope you don’t) for long enough, you would see me make impulse purchases for things I don’t need and, sometimes, can’t really afford. I have discovered the thrill of buying something new, and I have discovered the transient nature of that thrill. Despite all I know and believe, I sometimes push that “Add to Cart” button under the unspoken conviction that one more purchase will be enough to pacify my longings and give me lasting happiness. 

But it’s never enough. And it never will be.

When we feel satisfied, or we believe we’re supposed to, it’s easy to convince ourselves that life as we know—or what we can make of it—is good enough. With complacency, we invest our best in things that will be taken from us, either at the moment of death or in an earlier moment of grief. We may completely lose sight of the eternal realm.

On the other hand, when we acknowledge we are unsatisfied in a world where death is certain and life can be treated like a cheap commodity, we are far more likely to seek true answers in the realm we can’t see. We have a proper foundation for viewing this world through the illuminating lenses of God’s bigger perspective. We can see just a glimpse of our world as God views it—and feel a bit of his longing for us.