The American Dream...it's not for me

Toward the end of bible study last night, Pastor Steve talked about the American Dream and how maybe (definitely) it's not what we should be striving for.  The following is an email I sent to him after church:

Pastor Steve,

Before we came to Celebration, Isaac had picked up Radical by David Platt and that's when we starting thinking about what you were talking about tonight: the American Dream and how it's ruining us (Isaac was WAY more open to it, than I was...I thought it was just another Christian "we're doing this wrong" book).  We had been seeking it out.  We did radically change then (Isaac more than me and we still have a ways to go, but we're moving in the right direction).  

Before, we felt almost entitled BECAUSE we were American even though we didn't have anything to do with that.  We were just born here, we didn't earn it.   

Makes a TON of sense, I know... blah.  It was the first time you talked about it that I felt that Isaac and I were on the same page.  The first time that I wasn't like "oh crap, Isaac is hearing this.  This is going to start something.  He's going to get all amped up and quit his job or something stupid"  or "thank you Jesus Isaac isn't here to hear this" or "STOP PASTOR STEVE, this makes me nervous and I don't want to be accountable for THIS!"     

I mean, you talk about it a lot.  (thankfully)  I don't know if you realize that, but you throw it in here and there often, which is AMAZING because it seems no one is talking about it.  All we had ever done was SEEK OUT OUR BLESSING, we deserve it because blah, blah, blah.  Through your blessing you'll find God, instead of... just find God.  But, we're finding him.  TRULY finding Him.  Something has clicked.  

I am FINALLY getting to the point of emailing you.  On the way home I was getting Ash out of the car seat and he asked, "mommy, does this keep me safe?" and to make it click for him (pun intended) I said, "of course it does, you can't get hurt if you're strapped in...now if you get out while the car is moving, you'll definitely get hurt."  

kahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhBOOM

Instantly, I knew that the American Dream is our seat belt.  

It's not a huge revelation, I guess...well, at least not a prophecy or anything and anyone could have come up with, but I  knew it was God because the whole thought pattern was instantly in my head as if I'd been pondering the analogy for a while.  

The seat belt is our American Dream and we think as long as we're buckled in, we're good.  We know deep down that a piece of wood could come crashing through the window, impaling us and our seat belt wouldn't make a lick of difference, but we like to ignore that part and keep saying "we're so safe!  These seat belts are going to save us! Thank God for these seat belts" instead of just "thank you God, you are good, I trust you because you're You not because you'll keep me safe in this world...but because you're equipping me to bring more souls to YOUR world.  Seat belts and car seats be darned, God I just need you!  I'll surf on top of this car while it's moving if it'll glorify you more!!!!"  

Another reason that I know it's God is because man, I had stuff to do!  I had to pee and let the dog in and get the kids ready for bed and make sure Ash peed and plug in my phone.  And NONE of that got done.  It seems silly b/c it really isn't that big of a revelation, and it's stuff you ALREADY SAID I just knew I was supposed to tell you and I've learned not to question that.  

When it's instant, for me, it's God.  

Have you ever had that kind of thing happen?  It's like instead of thinking thoughts in your head they're all laid out for you in advance and all you have to do is follow them to see where they lead.  They're not your thoughts!  That means...  they're someone else's ;)   Sometimes it comes out in my writing. I'll write a poem and then LEARN FROM IT!  God is crazy cool. 

Thanks for everything,
Courtney 

I love America. I love dreams.  But put those words together and you get an idea that we've latched onto that has sort of duped us.  If you're a Christian, you seek, seek, seek, and achieve, achieve, achieve and if you finally get there (the American Dream), it often ends in complacency.  The opposite of radical love.  

If you aren't a Christian and you seek, seek, seek and achieve, achieve, achieve until you make it to the American Dream, then what?   What does it mean?  Security?  That sounds good, I'll admit, I'd LOVE to feel secure, but really I just want to be content...in any and all situations.  If you seek that Dream as your end all, what if you lose it?  Christian or not?  Where is your purpose????

Maybe when you say American Dream, you really mean something other than what I'm saying, I don't know.  But question yourself.  I want to help people.  Not because I'm good, I'm not.  

I AM CALLED  

We all are.  Stop for a minute today and ask yourself about your goals in life.  Ask yourself if what you're striving for will really make you happy, anyway.  Ask yourself if all of this work to get wherever you want to get IS WORTH IT.  Maybe you'll say yes, but if you say maybe then start seeking.