Slow It Down, AT&T!

This is number 2 in my AT&T series of posts. In my first post, I talked about AT&T giving us the message that bigger is better. This time, I'm moving on to their message that faster is better. I'll give them credit... The commercial is super cute. But, no matter how cute it is, I still think it is sending the wrong message, especially to the kids who are automatically drawn to the commercial simply because it has kids in it. Here's the commercial that tells us that faster is better:

In some cases, I would agree that faster is better. But, the commercial doesn't specify any circumstances. It just lays out the assertion that faster is better. Period. Here's my problem with that... We are constantly inundated with the message that we need to do more, more, more. At work, we have to be more productive. At home, we have to do more with our kids. At school, every moment has to be jam packed with learning. The only way to do more is to be faster. We are constantly pushed to go, go, go.

We try to dress it up just to make it sound better. Kids need to be involved in more activities so that they are more well-rounded. Technology makes us more efficient so that we can accomplish more in the same amount of time. Multitasking  is an art that only the most fortunate are able to perfect. People who are constantly working and driving themselves and their kids to do more are go-getters. They are driven. They are motivated. They are striving for success. We are supposed to model our own lives after them.

All of that leads to the results of living in the fast lane, filling every moment with an attempt to do more, to be more, to accomplish more. If you don't fill every millisecond of your life with something, then you are lazy, unmotivated, and your kids are missing out.

Personally, I think that this is one major area where we get it all wrong. And, I say "we" because I'm just as guilty as the next guy. My whole life I have said that I'm not happy unless I'm going 90 to nothing. But, lately I have been making conscious efforts to change that.

The first change I made a while back was to spend time every with God. For a long time, I've had a Bible app on my phone that gives me a daily verse. I would read it most days, but that was it. Now, that's just my starting point. I read the verse, but then I read the whole chapter that the verse is in. After I've read it a couple times, I read it again with the notes that go with it in my study Bible. I really try to listen for the message God wants me to get out of it. Finally, I spend some time praying, but more importantly, listening to God. It's amazing what a difference it makes when I slow down and start my day off with this devotional time! I am more patient, less frazzled, and just in a better mood overall. When I just jump out of bed and hit the ground running, I'm a frantic mess all day!

Every time I see the AT&T commercial about faster being better, all I can think is, "Be still and know that I am God." This verse can be found in Psalm 46:10, and I catch myself reciting it multiple times every day. It is such a good reminder of what God wants for us! Of course we have to work. Of course we need to spend time with our kids. Of course we have to cook and clean and do laundry. But, I think it's really important to find balance. We need to balance the fast and the slow. We need to give ourselves permission to put on the brakes and really enjoy life. We need to make sure we don't take on so much that it becomes impossible to do so. We need to make sure that time with God is a priority, not an option that becomes the first thing we skip over because everything else dominates our time.

In some cases, AT&T is right: Faster is better. But, in life... I just don't think so. Slow it down, keep your priorities in check, and enjoy all the ways God blesses you every day! Our kids are watching us and learning how to live life from what they see us do. What are you teaching???

It's Not Complicated, AT&T

OK, I know I planned on doing this a LONG time ago, but the day of my last post, my life took a 90 degree turn and got much busier than I had planned. Not that I am complaining, because I definitely am not! I just haven't had (or made) time to write as much as I'd like.

Anyway... Here's my first set of opinions on the series of commercials AT&T has been running for the last several months. It's the "It's Not Complicated" series of commercials. I have no idea what their first commercial in this series was, but the first one I remember ended with the message, "Bigger is better." Here's the commercial:

At first glance, it's a group of really cute kids saying really cute things. It makes everyone smile and laugh, and people really like to watch these commercials. But, have you really listened to what's being said? The man in the commercial asks the kids questions to lead them to the point AT&T is trying to make... Bigger is better. Unfortunately, in the US, bigger is better. Bigger houses, bigger bank accounts, bigger wardrobes... It never ends. The Golden Rule is no longer, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It is now, "The one with the gold makes the rules," and it's been that way for a long time. In general, people are judged and valued for what they have, not who they are.

And, the really sad part of this to me is the kids. If you ask just about any kid in this country what's better, bigger or smaller? They will say that bigger is better. We ingrain it in them every single day. The boy in the commercial doesn't want a small tree house because it wouldn't hold a big screen TV. Kids dream of being rich when they grow up, so they can have a big house and fancy cars and every possession they desire. This is definitely NOT how I want my kids to view their lives. Unfortunately, I was just as caught up in this mentality as everyone else for the majority of my life. If you ask my 9-year-old about his life plan, he'll tell you he's going to be in the NFL Hall of Fame and marry a rich supermodel. It just makes me shake my head and ask myself what in the world I've been doing all these years???

Whether we realize it or not, we are teaching our kids that "stuff" is what makes you happy. If you just made a little bit more money, you'd be happy. If you just got a bigger house, you'd be happy. If you just had a bigger and better wardrobe, you'd be happy. We chase material possessions like they are some kind of magic potion that will somehow make us feel validated and worthwhile. But, the reality is that the more you try to satisfy these empty feelings you have with "stuff," the emptier you feel. Bigger is definitely NOT better when it comes to satisfying your soul and feeling fulfilled in life.

I was reminded of this in church yesterday. We had a guest band come to perform during our worship service. They are called Remedy Drive, and I had no idea that I knew some of their songs very well until they played them. The one that really drives this point home is called, "All Along." I know it by heart, and I absolutely love the message it conveys! Here's the song on YouTube. The video isn't exciting, but I wanted one that shows the words. Take a listen...

The only thing that can really fill us is God. Everything else is just our superficial way of trying to do it ourselves. But, it never works. No matter how much "stuff" you have, you always feel like you just need a little bit more to make life easier and make you happy. But, God doesn't work that way. He fills us in such a different way. His love isn't based on what we have. His grace isn't conditional. He loves us no matter what we do or don't do. He loves us no matter what we have or don't have. He doesn't care what people think of us, how many friends we have, or how many followers we have on Facebook or Twitter. And, He doesn't want us to care about those things either. For me personally, the day that I truly started identifying myself as a child of God and basing my value on that was the day that I really started feeling happy and satisfied.

So, AT&T... You're right: It's not complicated. Bigger isn't better in the way you are putting it out there. Bigger is better if you are talking about a God who is bigger than any problem I could ever face. Bigger is better if you're talking about the love we get from a God who will never leave us. Bigger is better if you're talking about the grace that God gives us every single day of our lives. So, I guess the real truth here is that God is better!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 15:13