Dog Eat Dog World?
I’ve heard it said that we live in a “Dog eat dog world.” Now I have two dogs and I have seen them occasionally go at it. And it’s always over a chew bone (or whatever that toy they chew on for hours is called). It’s not a pretty sight. Nor a pretty sound. Of course I don’t think they would necessarily eat each other, though we didn’t wait to find out, but life got fierce for my canines at that moment. Yes, we have tried to teach them to share. But they are dogs. Their world is driven by other needs than to share a chew toy—or anything else for that matter.
So when I hear that we live in a “Dog eat dog world,” I think of my dogs being willing to take a bite out of one another just to get a gnaw on a $2 bone. It’s ridiculous. But again, they are dogs. That’s what they do! But then there’s us—you and me. We are perhaps at times no different. Now we might never openly demonstrate our desire to succeed at the cost of another, but deep down in the recesses of our heart of hearts there is a jealousy and envy that pops up at unexpected moments . And such envy and jealousy pushes us to do what it takes to achieve just a bit more than those around us. Our culture has trained (discipled) us to think this way. To be whole, to be enough, you have to succeed at ________ (fill in the blank).
I stumbled upon a quote I read years ago by Henri Nouwen in his book The Return of The Prodigal Son. I think it ties in nicely with what I’m writing about today. He writes:
The world in which I have grown up is a world so full of grades, scores, and statistics that, consciously or unconsciously, I always try to take my measure against all the others. Much sadness and gladness in my life flows directly from my comparing, and most, if not all, of this comparing is useless and a terrible waste of time and energy.
I particularly find valuable his last few words: “this comparing is useless and a terrible waste of time and energy.” But it’s so hard not to compare. And social media makes this even more difficult. Everyone looks as though they have their life so together. And then there’s us. We need more! So we spend time wondering what we need to do to have an exciting life exemplified in the photos posted on instagram or Facebook. And all this according to Nouwen is a waste of time. And though I agree, it’s still hard not to fall into such craziness.
But we will never get off this roller coaster of needing to be more until we realize who we are created to be. We will never allude the comparison game until we breathe in the truth that we are known and liked by God! As I wrote in The Cross-Shaped Life:
The reality is that we will never stop seeking to be known until we realize we are known (see 1 Cor. 13:12). We will never stop seeking to be enough until we realize we are enough. Paul writes that “Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). So we are known by God and are made rich by him. This is who we are. This is the basis of our humility. “As believers in Christ,” writes Brian Rosner, “we have no need to make a name for ourselves and to reach for the sky—our names have already been permanently inscribed by God in heaven!” When we believe what God has said about us, then we will be free from the striving to make life all about ourselves. We will no longer need to manipulate and use others to make ourselves enough.
Martin Luther wrote that we must continually “beat the Gospel into our heads.” I think this is true regarding how God views us as well (which is, of course, part of the Gospel story). God wants to be with us! And this is not based on what we do or how our successes have superseded our neighbors. If you are a pastor it’s not about how many come to hear you preach. Or if you are a youth minister, how many attend your youth Bible study.
A book I read about a year or so ago is titled How to be (Un)Successful: An unlikely guide to human flourishing by Peter Portal. You can read some of my comments about this book here and here. I like it for the title alone. Now Pete is not writing about how to fail here. Instead, he is pushing us to rethink what success actually entails. And as you might guess, it involves sacrificial service to those around us based upon our identity’s sure footing found in the story of a God who creates and rescues and restores out of a love that is most explicitly demonstrated on a cross.
So therefore, in the “Dog eat dog world” in which we live, we who are Christ followers seek rest in the goodness of a God who wants to be WITH. And as a result, instead of trying to be more (whatever that means to us), we realize we are already enough. So instead of trying to be first, we don’t mind being last. Instead of trying to be at the head table, we are okay with needing to fill up the water glasses (did not Jesus teach about this?). When Jesus was with his disciples the night before he was crucified, he picked up a towel and washed feet. It’s been said that there was only one person in that room who was secure enough in who they were to pick up a towel. Jesus.
God, help us to know who we are today! Help us to see ourselves through your eyes. AMEN.