Sumo-Size Me!

Here's a great illustration from Joshua Harris. It is taken from a two-part sermon series called "The Good Recession" in which he tries to help his congregation see how Christians can grow through hard times.

Recently, I was reading about Japanese sumo wrestlers. (Touching base with my heritage a little.) If you are familiar with sumo wrestlers, they gain hundreds of pounds. These men are huge. And they do this by eating massive amounts of food. They train their bodies not to feel full. They literally stretch their stomachs, massaging their intestines to make room for food. Isn't that gross? They reset their definition of a normal meal so they can gain hundreds of pounds. In a similar way, our definition of need, when it comes to possessions, is completely out of proportion. We're like those sumo wresters that have redefined their needs so that we can take in more and more. Our definition of need has been super-sized by our culture of consumption. So we think that we need not only to eat, but to eat food that we love, and preferably to eat out. We think that we not only need to be clothed, but to wear the latest fashion and have five of everything. We think we need more than just a roof over our heads. We want a bigger house, with a big yard. We think we need multiple cars, four-wheel drive vehicles to drive on paved roads. And the list could go on and on. I'll be honest with you, when I read Jesus' promise in Luke 12 to provide for my needs by feeding me like a raven and clothing me like a flower, my heart doesn't leap for joy. I feel like a sumo wrestler who has been given a salad for dinner. You see my heart and my values need to be adjusted by God's Word. My definition of need needs to come into line with Jesus's definition. One of the potential spiritual benefits of an economic recession is that as we tighten our budgets, as we change our lifestyle, we can actually begin getting a clearer picture of what we actually need. We have a lot more than we really need. We have so much to be thankful for. We have so many opportunities to be generous and share. There's so much that we can do without. Seize this as an opportunity to have your need-o-meter reset.