Human Nature

Humans want what other humans want, and pay no attention to things others don’t want.

I have three grandkids I watched today. Some toys sat lifeless for hours, no one was interested even remotely. But then, the second one becomes interested, everyone else demands they share it, then begins the inevitable bickering we love so much. Ironically, the one time someone picked up a toy and got no response… “no one wants to play with me.” Priceless!!

I’d like to think that we grow out of this but ebay tells me some things never change. If you want to sell a $100 item and start the bidding at $55, bad idea. Human nature says people want what other people want. Start the bidding at $1 and get twenty bidders thinking they need what 20 other people need and you’ll get to your destination. Start the bidding too high, get no bidders, everyone thinks “nobody wants this, maybe I don’t either.

10 years ago I was at an antique, once-a-month occasional sale, always very interesting items. I noticed everytime I picked something up and talked about it, everyone in the room needed to see what I was holding. Put it down, walk away, watch how many people need to see what you had, what they are missing out on. It happened EVERY TIME. All I could think was this place needs two people walking around picking up stuff and walking away, good for 30 extra sales!

What’s up with this hard wiring so deeply ingrained in us? Frequently it seems more of a waste than being super useful. Are we afraid of the road less travelled? Does popularity always have to fuel the decisions we make? Does the culture around us get to decide which items to pick up and value based on trends. I’m reminded of Joshua and the stand that gets taken there, it sounds much like the choice of this day, Joshua 24:15…

” But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

You can sit at the spiritual store and see which idol people pick up and caress and proclaim the greatness thereof, and you can make that choice to follow that popular god. But I’m standing here in the crossroads of faith making a decision and it’s not based on anyone else’s decision, their love, their comfort, or any other subjective feel good choice. I’m taking my stand, even if everyone else wants to choose_____. “As for me and my house, (great big intentional pause… wait for it…) we will serve the Lord.” Not because of a trend, but because of conviction concerning the truth. What is our choice rooted in? Human nature makes that choice a certain way every time, but it’s generally not the way that leads to life.

I pray you choose life!