"Salvation by Catalogue"

"SALVATION BY CATALOGUE"

was how I read a colleague’s recent ministerial post. (It actually read “salvation by

colleagues”!) But, it got me to thinking… HOW many catalogues arrive in my

mailbox each week? Most I just toss, but some always catch my eye with a gorgeous

fashion outfit on the cover that I WANT. Or a photo of some alluring exotic vacation

spot. Wanting is my own personal devil in many ways. I want things, experiences,

things, relationships, things, books, … well you get the picture. I sometimes feel

there is a “wanting monster” inside me. And, I am one who is blessed with SO many

things. Too many.. Now I know I could (after much work!) get those folks to stop

sending me catalogues. But, that’s not really the issue. The issue is the wanting.

There will always be bait out there. Even if I lived on a remote island without mail,

I’m pretty sure I could find things to want.

Will a new outfit, destination, book, kitchen gadget, exotic garden plant save me??

From what? From my already overflowing life? From the few empty days on my

calendar? From the gnawing sense that I am somehow not quite enough?

On some level I know it is not the actual items that I want. And, I also know that

wanting is not bad. Wanting is a positive thing. It indicates our aliveness, our

willingness to try out the new, our desire to be, to have MORE. Wanting moves us

forward. Dreaming moves us forward. Wanting is holy.

It is the having to have that sinks us.