Wanting, Needing, Longing....

I was reading Seth Godin's blog yesterday and it made me think. He spoke of marketing and the common goal of marketers:

"What you have doesn't make you unhappy. What you want does.
And want is created by us, the marketers."

I am grateful that I am an American and that I live in a free market society that allows us each the freedom to create and sell products/services that add value to the lives of others. As a Christian, however, I must be keenly aware of the seduction of this very same system. While Godin is correct in his assertion that the consumer wants what he or she does not yet have, and those feelings are indeed exacerbated by the lure of the latest "thing" dangled at the end of the marketers' fishing pole, I do not believe that the "want" is created by the marketer. The want is created in us by the Creator Himself. The great tragedy is that we often mistake the deep longings within ourselves as a need for stuff.

In his book The Seven Longings of the Human Heart, Mike Bickle says this: "We have cravings built into our spirit as an integral part of our divine design. These cravings reveal the genius of the Creator, who placed these longings in us to reflect His own personality and guide us to-and back to-Him. He intentionally planted longings deep within our hearts that only He can fill."

How many of us try to fill our longings for greatness, for beauty, for intimacy, for legacy, with what can only be acquired with money when what we deeply desire can only be fulfilled by the God who fashioned us to fulfill HIS longing. Wow! God has a longing for.........me! He deeply desires oneness with me and with you. He is waiting for each of us to realize our desperate need for what only He can offer. And there are no shipping and handling fees! Your longings fulfilled will be delivered straight to the depths of your heart on demand anytime you call on Him.

Is it okay to still want an iPhone and a Mac? Sure. As long as you acquire them to meet your tech needs and not your emotional needs. (I want both of them...champagne taste on a beer budget) Kind of ironic that these products are made by Apple. Wasn't it an apple that got us all into trouble to begin with? Kidding...just relax!