Consumption vs. Gratitude

I've been blogging about our consumer-based economy, and how that fits (or does not fit) into the kingdom described by Jesus. Personally, in my own battle between consumerism and gratitude, I am afraid that more often than not, my desire to consume wins. Despite reading McLaren's book and reflecting on these issues, I just spent this past weekend making a giant list of all the new things I want for my house!

Brian McLaren describes gratitude as "an act of defiant contemplation, expressing rebellion against the thousands of advertisements a year that tell you to want what you don't have, and not appreciate what you already have." He uses the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in Mark 6:30-44 as an example of gratitude and sharing. McLaren says that instead of focusing solely on the miraculous power demonstrated by Jesus, we should see Jesus's action as "a powerful prophetic drama, demonstrating through sign and wonder a radically different economy, one that doesn't depend on spending more and buying more, but on discovering what you already have and sharing."

I have a lot to work on, but I like this idea of gratitude as a form of defiance and rebellion . . . maybe there's hope for me yet.

What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?
-Matthew 16:26