…Their hearts are trained to be greedy… 2nd Peter 2:14 (GNT)
Greed is something we learn, maybe without even realizing it. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting or enjoying nice things, when we demand more than our share, when we take for granted the good things we already enjoy, we set ourselves up for misery.
How do our hearts get trained to be greedy? St. Paul says greed is a form of idol-worship. (Colossians 3:5) We train ourselves to be greedy when we lean on things to do what they can’t do—and were never meant to. Consumerism as a source of happiness is bound to let us down. The satisfaction we feel when we buy something new is short-lived. It creates a desire for additional things, because to experience that pleasure again we need to buy more. If the things we acquired really provided contentment, we wouldn’t have to keep getting more. As C. S. Lewis put it, “an ever increasing desire for an ever-diminishing return” is temptation’s formula. We help train ourselves to be greedy precisely because the things we covet don’t deliver the contentment we’re really looking for.
The pattern isn’t limited to material possessions. We can be greedy for attention, approval, or any number of intangibles. Why? Maybe we’re looking for assurance that we are enough, that we have enough, that we do enough. But again, the reassurance we get from fishing from compliments, for example, has a diminishing return and can even be counter-productive. Compliments don’t satisfy permanently, or we wouldn’t need to keep fishing for them. Our behavior might even drive people away, which could lead to craving even more approval.
We may know intellectually that Madison Avenue’s job is to entice us into wanting more, and yet still succumb to it. The good news if we’ve been trained to be greedy, we can un-train. We can allow the greed “muscle” to weaken by not exercising it. We can choose NOT to act on impulsive desire. We can replace the default action with new behavior. We can practice gratitude. We can choose to share. We can seek our well-being where it is to be found. When we focus on God’s unconditional love, the blessings of relationships with loved ones, and appreciating the gifts we already have, we are training ourselves out of greed and into the love that satisfies.
Prayer: Lord, fill my heart.
Reflection: What’s underneath my desire for _______________? How can I get that need met in a healthy way?
Text adapted from blog post that appeared originally on www.biblemeditations.net
Image taken from: http://morguefile.com/archive#/?q=shopping&sort=pop&photo_lib=morgueFile
Copyright 2015, Barbara Hosbach
Barbara Hosbach
Barbara Hosbach, freelance writer, is co-chair of the CJ Chapter of the Catholic Writers Guild and member of the Catholic Press Association. Hosbach’s articles have appeared in a number of Catholic periodicals. Her latest book, Your Faith Has Made You Well: Jesus Heals in the New Testament, explores what happened when Jesus healed and what it means for us today. Your Faith Has Made You Well: Jesus Heals in the New Testament and Fools, Liars, Cheaters, and Other Bible Heroes
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