Leviticus 25:23-24
23 “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. 24 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.
If there are any who have been wondering why I haven’t been posting as much lately it’s because I just don’t have a lot to say about Leviticus. I’m also reading Mark now and since this is the third gospel in a row I’ve gone through I haven’t been struck by much there than I haven’t already said something about. Now that I’ve indulged in my little fantasy of having regular readers here’s what I have to say.
It’s really interesting to me how God says to handle property. Every fifty years a piece of land went back to it’s original owners, the people God had given that piece of land. What interests me about this is the philosophy it implies.
We own nothing. Everything is a gift from God: from the clothes on your back, to the screen you are watching right now. The car you drive, the house you live in, the money in your pockets. Even the very skin you wear is God’s, not yours.
I think in places as prosperous as America it’s easy to get in the mindset of being an owner. We are so focused on our rights and how hard we work to get the things we want that we forget who really owns our things and who really owns us. When we lose things, be it a house, or a phone, a car, or even a friend, we feel as though we are losing pieces of ourselves.
Now, I don’t think that’s entirely a bad thing. We were put on Earth to cultivate it and to make it a wonderful and beautiful place. Because of that God given mandate, we should feel some lose when we lose or break something we own. So often however, when we lose something our minds immediately begin to presume. We believe we deserve the things we have. We think we’ve earned them. We think they are ours and ours alone. And that is when our toys own us, and that is when it is good to have your phone or your car crap out on you.
While I believe there are many problems with the monastic tradition I think there are also some great advantages, even for people who can’t make it a permanent part of their lives. There is great power in separating yourself from the physical luxuries of this world. Discipline over ones desires is always a worthy goal. Keeping yourself centered on God is difficult under the best of circumstances.
In the end, that’s where our true joy lies. In full and perfect understanding of the fact that we have God and that He wants us we are able to truly enjoy the luxuries he affords us. Only in eternal fulfillment can we truly have momentary happiness.
