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More, More, More
“Have you discovered ugly truths that you never suspected? Has your perfect job turned dull and tedious? Is your dream house becoming just another place you have lived? Have you become disillusioned and concluded that enjoyment cannot live up to its promise? Have you come to believe that pleasure is unsustainable?” (Wanting More: The Challenge Of Enjoyment In The Age Of Addiction, Chamberlain, p. x).
Just like a float in a toilet tank rises with the water level to seal off incoming water and prevent overflow, our expectations and desires float up and down with our rising or falling condition in life. It has been shown repeatedly that the long-term satisfaction level of lottery winners is not significantly higher than the rest of us. There might be a short-term period of euphoria, but people naturally get used to their surroundings, no matter how opulent. Eventually, a house is just a house, a car is just a car, etc. Despite the dramatic jump in prosperity, lottery winners typically report the same level of happiness that they did before winning (“Why Winning Powerball Won’t Make You Happy,” Forbes.com, 11/28/12). The Bible teaches the same principle in Ecclesiastes 5:10, saying, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income.”
“Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, nor are the eyes of men ever satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). No matter how much we pursue a thing, satisfaction always seems to elude us. Once we grasp it, the ecstasy quickly fades and the intensity level must be ratcheted up. It should seem obvious that all sins produce the same basic restlessness – one is never satisfied with the short-term pleasure of pornography, or the feeling of calm or excitement from various kinds of drugs, or the temporary release of stress through a violent outburst. All of those things are a waste of time in the pursuit of meaningful contentment because they do not address the core issue – godliness. Illicit sexual activity will never fill our need for healthy, wholesome relationships that are defined by God (Matthew 19:1-9, Ephesians 5:22ff). Drugs cannot fix life’s anxiety-producing problems – rather, drugs are nothing but a foolish attempt at ignoring unresolved issues. And anger does not address our need for resolution and reconciliation. Only God can guide us in those things (2 Peter 1:3, Romans 6:17ff). Only Jesus Christ can give us any real escape from restlessness (Matthew 11:28-30, John 4:13-14).
