Heaven-Bent

This month’s theme in Journey from the Ashes is ENOUGH and today’s devotion is all about wanting a little bit more.

We just love a little bit more, don’t we?

Heck, you are probably reading this on your phone right now after you’ve watched a few hundred reels filled with ads about stuff you are starting to believe you need.

Even a little pause on one ad with one woman putting on her makeup, swearing by this new product, and those algorithms get you. Now you see the ad for that undereye concealer everywhere, lying to you, promising to hide those dark circles. The other 10 concealers you have in your drawer clearly aren’t doing the trick.

I mean, one more won’t hurt, right?

Did this just happen to me? Yes, yes, it did.  

Did I buy the concealer?  Yes, yes, I did.

Did it work?  No, no, it didn’t.

Did I have to go to the UPS store to return it to Amazon?  Yes, yes, I did.

I fall for that bait of needing a little more more than I care to admit (see that I did there).

I know I’m not alone.  We all do this.

We rationalize our unquenched thirst for more. Clearly, the overstuffed closet of stuff isn’t enough; we need just a little more. In fact, we need it now. Same day would be great, actually. Sure, we’ll pay more. And in it goes, stuffed in with the other stuff.

Let’s go a bit deeper than just the lure of stuff.

What is all of this more more more doing to us?  Where are we headed?

We watch the fall of leaders and titans of industry as their ego-driven, hell-bent quest for more turns into greed-fueled corruption.  

We know the devastation of addiction as the lure for more hooks us.

We know what it feels like to never feel like we got enough.

We seem hell-bent to do whatever it takes to get more.

Hell-bent.

I never really thought about that saying until this moment. I often say hellbent when someone is utterly determined to get what they want.  You know, like I’m hellbent to get that concealer and pay for fast shipping because I want it, and I want it now. Or, like I’m hellbent on getting that promotion, even if it means sabotaging my colleague in the process.

Is our quest for more bending us toward hell?

Does that mean to become heaven-bent, we must give away everything we own and live in the wilderness? I really hope not, cuz it’s really cold out there right now.

What if, instead of that all-or-nothing thinking, we just work on a little redirection?

What if we pull our heads up from our hell-bent doom scrolling or lack-induced reel bingeing, and think of ways we can bend a little towards heaven?

Who might need a call for support?
What charities could I help or donate things to?
Who is out there making a positive difference I could align with?
Who could I pray for?
What am I grateful for?
What blessings do I have now that I prayed for?

All I can change is me.

And I know I can choose to redirect myself a little bit at a time.

I do not want to live a life bent towards hell, filled with selfishness, lack, fear, and greed.

I want to live a life bent towards heaven, filled with love, hope, gratitude, and God-driven service to others.

The world needs to turn course.

You see it, I see it.  

Maybe it begins with us as we bend a little towards heaven today.

Phones down. Heart willing. Ears open. Hands and feet ready.

Heaven, here we come.