Modern life is in many ways a kind of spiritual fog. We blanket ourselves in technology and we wrap ourselves with fantasy, but in reality we are living like slaves rather than kings.

We think we are masters of our fate because we can choose to buy a 42″ HDTV rather than a 37″. We think we are in control of our destiny because we buy a grande-sized Mocha Frappucino. We think that life is good because the ski trip to Lake Tahoe was a heckuva lot of fun.

The best lies are the ones that are 98% truth. The truth of the blessings we have, the beautiful and meaningful things we can be grateful for, is obscured by our selfish desires and our temper tantrums when things don’t go our way. Instead of ruling in the midst of our circumstances, we become enslaved by them. We use that 42″ HDTV to watch porn because our minds are being dictated by damaged passions. We buy that Frappucino to get a quick fix because otherwise the morning would suck and the world would look dimly depressing. We find out that being in Lake Tahoe is not the panacea of tranquility we thought it would be when we arrive back home to a stack of bills (all those Frappucinos and HDTV/Blu-ray/home theater purchases, dontchaknow) and a mile-high workload and an angry family squabble and a sick cat.

The problem is focus. There are so many little things to focus on in our daily routines that we forget the real focus of life: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (as stated by the Westminster catechism). When we center ourselves on the knowledge of God’s love and fatherhood over us, His sweet children, we begin to see everything in a new way. Somehow the dire problems and conflicts begin to look a little less important, and following in the footsteps of Jesus becomes the singular priority.

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and his rightousness, and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:33