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
