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But It's Cool!: Want Vs. Need


Currently on my "to buy" list: a new laptop! And I had my eye on a sweet one- an Alienware. It had everything I could possibly want- durability, processing power, awesome graphics, style, and attitude. I was so wanting to buy it... really badly. But then, after weeks of research, a thought entered my mind: yes, it was my dream computer, but did I really need all that power? I had told myself, "I need a better graphics card so I can play my Global Agenda." "I need more space for more programs." "I need, I need, I need...." But did I really? It was something that bore some thought.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that even if I got a computer that was barely better than the one I have now, it would be what I need.

Which bears the question: How much that I buy on a regular basis do I actually need?

Why am I willing to spend $700 dollars on a computer and $75 on my health? How about replacing those socks with holes in them instead of getting a video game? Why do I squirm when I buy $15 in food, but $15 in movies seems cheap? Seeing a pattern?

Entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. But that's our culture, isn't it? We are raised to consume. We move from one source of "fun" to the next. And when asked to work or be responsible for our lives, what is our answer? Let me tell you, my answer isn't something I'm proud of.

The Bible talks about what our self-indulgence produces. In Galatians 6 it says: 6 "Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."

Wow! What a convicting passage! When we deposite selfish things, such as entertainment, into our life's bank account, guess what we get when we make a withdrawal- definitely not spiritual things. If you plant a rose, you get a rose. If you plant weeds, well... you get the idea. In this case, the passage is referring to sowing in "the flesh", which is anything that our earthly selves want and not our spiritual selves.

Entertainment is the bane of our existence. Did you know that the average person spends 4-5 hours a day watching tv? We can find the time to watch 2.5 to 3 movies, but we can't find the time to spend an hour in God's Word. It makes me sad to think of all those times when I could have been reading my Bible for more than ten minutes a day.

Yes, I know that I still want that awesome gaming computer.

But do I really need it?
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