Triviality

I was listening to a sermon by John Piper the other day and he mentioned that one of the greatest problems with American spirituallity today is that we have lost all "intellectual and emotional connection to awe-inspiring soul-staggaring grandor. Instead, we are drowning in a sea of triviality..." because we have become so obsessed with self gratification and "now" mentality. We become satisfied with low buzzes like power and sex and we can't even immagine that there might be something better out there. This is all we know.

I thought about that for a while and it seems so real. So much of our lives, even within the church, is trivial and comfortable. TV, music, education, Christian books (a good many of them) are all just "fluff" as my friend Clayton puts it. It seems to me, now and probably because I have been awakened to it, that I sink so fast as soon as I partake in triviality. I loose motivation and passion to be in that higher place. It is very much like drowning, but also there lies the danger of being drowned by those around you. As a lifeguard it is of utmost importance to learn how to rescue someone who is drowning without being taken down with them. That's the way drowning people behave. Even someone who might love you dearly in a rational situation will step on you in a paniced state. We do that a lot to eachother don't we? We judge the ones who's sights might be higher than our own. A popular phrase is "I liked him/her better when..." It makes us uncomfortable when someone reaches higher understanding and conduct. It's almost as if it makes our flaws even more visible. We lash out or retract or possibly just loose interest. Afterall, according to most philosophers, a trivial mind finds most things of higher substance to be boring.

But right now I'm reading through Romans again and with that I am looking over John Piper's sermons and getting more ideas and projections as to what exactly Paul was talking about in such a powerful book. It's challenging, but good.

I should be working on calculus right now, but as I said before, I no longer really care about my grades (as sad as that sounds). My care is only on graduation and the life that waits beyond. I'm really excited about it and if I had it my way I would already be there, but alas, I am bound in a world governed by time and gravity, so not only must I work in succession, but I must keep my feet on the ground while doing it.

(Oh, I got my hair cut today.)

Well, despite the many thoughts that are still churning around in my head, I must get some work done before I go to bed. Peace and love.