Let Down | Getting What We Want

16 Then he told them a parable: “A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. 17 He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! 18 Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store all my grain and goods. 19 I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21 CEB)

In this parable, Jesus tells us about a rich man whose crops produced an abundant harvest. The man looks at his overflowing barns and thinks, "What should I do? I don't have room for all this!" So he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. Then he'll be able to relax, eat, drink, and be merry because he has everything he needs stored up for years to come.

But God calls him a fool and tells him he will die tonight. Then God asks, "Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?"

It's a sobering story. But what makes it particularly relevant to us during the Christmas season is this: the rich man in this parable got exactly what he wanted. He wasn't struggling. He wasn't suffering. He had more than enough. His problem wasn't that his life was falling apart. His problem was that his life was completely focused on himself.

We do the same thing at Christmas. We make our Christmas lists. We plan our celebrations. We dream about the perfect holiday. And when we get what we want, when everything goes according to plan, we think we should be satisfied. We think we should be happy.

But we're not. Even when we get everything we asked for, there's still something missing. We still feel empty inside. We still feel let down.

That's because getting what we want isn't the same as getting what we need. And what we need isn't more stuff or better decorations or perfect family gatherings. What we need is to know that our lives matter. That we're not just taking up space on this planet. That there's a purpose to our existence that goes beyond accumulating things and checking items off our wish lists.

The rich man in Jesus' parable missed that. He thought his life was all about him. So he never stopped to think about what God wanted from him. He never considered how he could use his abundant harvest to bless others. He just wanted to hoard it all for himself.

And God called him a fool. Not because there's anything wrong with being successful or having nice things. God called him a fool because he was so focused on himself that he forgot why he was put on this earth in the first place.

We're not here just to get what we want. We're here to love God and love others. We're here to be part of what God is doing in this world. We're here to share the good news that God loves everyone so much that he sent his son for us all.

When we forget that, when we make Christmas – or any other part of our lives – all about ourselves, we end up like that rich fool. We get everything we thought we wanted, but we're still not satisfied. Because we were made for something more than just serving ourselves.

Closing Prayer:

Father, forgive us for making our lives all about ourselves. Help us to see that true satisfaction doesn't come from getting what we want, but from being part of what you're doing in this world. Use us to bless others. Use us to share your love. Use us for your purposes, not just our own. Amen.