I was too ambitious in my deed,
And thought to distance all men in success,
Till God came to me, marked the place, and said,
“Ill doer, henceforth keep within this line,
Attempting less than others”—and I stand
And work among Christ’s little ones, content.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs… But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in 1 Timothy 6
Oh beloved, it is true. Life seems to be somewhere else. Even though we know it’s not. Still we peer out over whatever horizon is presented to us, and we look for it there.
This fool of a writer lives in the second-most populated megacity area on the planet. Nearly 30 million souls exist in the area acronymed as “JABODETABEK.” Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi are engorged to the point where some areas have up to 17,000 persons per square kilometre.
People come to the “Daerah Khusus Ibukota” (Special Capital Region) to find work. But they also come here to find what they think they cannot find out in the “kampung” (village). They come looking for:
Fun
Freedom
Hope
Riches
Enjoyment
Opportunity
Fulfillment
Strength
Escape
Excitement
And while there may be snippets of all the things above. All of those snippets are fleeting. So fleeting, actually, so as to be non-existent. In fact, in their place, what is mostly found is:
Melancholy loneliness
Bondage
Shattered dreams
Loan sharks
Cheap thrills
Oppression of workers
Exasperation
Fatigue and stress
Claustrophobia
Discouragement
The eyes and countenance of the average worker in Jabodetabek give them away. They are tired and wondering why they ever thought they should come to this smelly metroplex. The choking pollution, and the oppression wrought upon them by the dominant Chinese class make for an incredibly toxic mix for the soul.
Mostly what one sees in the countenance of the average worker (who makes but a few dollars a day) is what is actually captured within one word in the local language: “Pulang.” This word is a gorgeous compilation of thought and hope and intent. It literally translates into, “go home.” But it means so much more. It is a single word that communicates what every human being really wants to do.
Can we see it? We want so much more than what this world has to offer. We were Designed to be so much more that tired and oppressed and abandoned urban workers. We were Made to be alive and whole and free and complete. We were Meant to be completely full. And we were made for a Home that does not ever fade.
However, this fullness will never come to us by us scattering to some urban center (or to any other place for that matter). No, there is no fullness anywhere on this dusty planet. There is only fullness in the One in Whom the very fullness of the G_dhead dwells. For fullness does not consist in the things we thought it did. Fullness is only found in relationship with the One who made us – and Who only really knows what we need.
So beloved, are you feeling bewildered about life? Are you feeling the crushing disappointment of getting something you wanted? Perhaps a look at the treasure-hunters of the developing world will give you a clearer picture of the futility of your pursuits. Tonight is your night dear reader. Time to find the True Source of contentment. Him, and nothing else.
