living in the land of commercials

Somewhere out there, where no one has ever gone, yet aspires too, is this land that is portrayed in TV commercials.  Beautiful women live there, who never gain weight, and if they do, instantly lose it and tell you about it,while wearing bikinis.  Teenagers are seen walking in schools with pristine hallways, no graffiti in sight, the only signs being hand painted telling of the dance this Friday night.  Ballplayers are shown without a wad in their mouths, no tattoos, and are speaking English, our national language.  They portray a clean cut image, far from performance enhancing junkies some have become.  Businessmen  have become businesswomen, and still find time to run a corporation, do their daughter’s science project, make a five course dinner-from scratch, and go out for the evening with their male counterpart, their husband.  While their kids stay home, homework done on their laptop, and in bed by 10.  They say cool things like yes, sir, no mam, and please and thank you.  They have perfect teeth, new bikes, and the coolest friends.  They ride skateboards that are not worn down from grinding, new Nikes, have a trendy haircut, and never wear the same outfit twice.  The girls never get zits, at age 10 know all about which make-up goes with which clothes, and never have to worry about birth control-sex is forbidden, although it is implied.  No one lives in a bad neighborhood, a bad one is where the homes are not part of an HOA, and every hedge is trimmed, all cars washed, and never more than a year old.  All bought on a special deal available to them due to their high FICO score, and even the youngest of newlyweds still has a new car, not quite a Lexus yet, but some minivan in which they all try to express their individuality by looking the same.  And if they happen to have a motorcycle, heaven forbid, it is a Harley, new of course, and the neighbors question his manhood behind his back, and his family values.  He is a rebel, an outlaw, and pity the fool who moved in next to him without knowing he owned a motorcycle.  “You mean he actually wears a leather jacket to ride?”  And all is well in this suburban utopia, where the only reality is so unreal that no one could or would live there. 
They pay more, get less, and are fooled by whatever trend is foisted upon them next.  Yet no one ever sees them except on a TV commercial, so why do so many aspire to be like them?  What is this unity that binds us together so loosely, yet allows us to be just like everyone thinks the world sees them as?

Growing up cars were longer, lower, and wider...the bigger, the better.  Bigger engine, meant more power, which meant more power.  And the 50’s and 60’s drove us to bigger and better, just like MPG does today.  You want more MPG and cool, ride a motorcycle.  Too cool for you, ride a bike.  Sorry, I thought you were interested in more MPG, not impressing your neighbor.  Except performance then wasn’t a dirty word like it is today.  And without knowing it, we have gotten what we wanted, or at least what we think we wanted.  Or told we we wanted.  An anonymous GM executive, commenting on the fickle buying public, once said, “if the public wants to lower its standard of living by driving a cheap crowded car, we’ll make it.”  Look around guys, as you stuff yourself in some Japanese import, or minivan that seats a Little League team, he said this in 1958-how far have we really come as a society?  Do we really aspire to be mediocre?  Yet we base success on that very thing.  We are united, under a myth or illusion, and don’t even realize it, or do we?

We hear of Unity through diversion-that’s a joke, or unity through team loyalty-just watch any pregame football tail gate party.  Did you ever think you would tire of Dockers on every male?  Or everyone driving a vehicle that is gray, black, or white?  Where are the colors of red, blue, yellow, or green?  I even saw a dark gray Corvette the other day-boring.  Yet we all seek some unity, something to belong to, some intangible that we can exhibit through tangibility-seeing is believing.  The early church, and the church of today is fighting the same battle.   I tire of hearing of unity within the body, and we see it in cults like the white shirted boys on bikes of Mormonism.  But even they have a unity that the Christian church aspires to, but thankfully has not attained.  We have a freedom in Jesus to be ourselves, no matter what we drive or ride, where we live, buy or rent, or how trendy our Wranglers are.  He talks of unity in the spirit, simply explained, yet missed by most.  He tells us that unity is in Him, so that we may be in Him, and know the truth, and our lives portray it.  So that the world may believe that Jesus is who He said He is and was, that God sent His son to save us, and that it is an inescapable evidence that Jesus is God, and we have all the power and strength in Him.  That is unity-based on Him, not based on us agreeing on something, but based on Jesus.  Us in Christ and Christ in us.  It is that simple!  So that people may see He holds the key to history, and the future.  That is unity, unity in the spirit.  That is what I want. 

Has your life become cheap and crowded based on what other tells you about Christ, or is Jesus real to you?  Do you get religion every week, yet feel empty, or do you get Jesus, and a yearning for a deeper relationship with Him?  If your Bible cover is trendy and your pages not worn, maybe it tells more about your religion than you care for us to know.  Be yourself in Christ, enjoy freedom in the spirit, a unity of believers based on Jesus. 
We call it Christianity because it is based on Jesus.  Somewhere in your gospel of self, find Jesus and let Him out.  And watch the world around you change.  No longer living in a land of commercials, but in the reality of a loving God who sent His son so we could have a relationship with Him.  Just for once, I would like to see an ad for that!

So ask yourself, why don’t they ever show the lines at Disneyland?  Why do car companies tout their warranties, but you never see them towing one into the shop?  Unity in the spirit, no lines, no sign ups.  Just Jesus.  No false claims, just the truth.  Love, joy, and peace.  Virtues and values found nowhere else in commercial land.  Break for the program.  Once upon a time is now.

love with compassion,

Mike

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