Defying Gravity
Finding Freedom from Consumerism
Hey friends—welcome back to The Twig. Today, we’re reflecting on something that hits close to home: the constant pressure to chase after more.
More stuff.
More success.
More comfort.
More control.
We’re bombarded with messages telling us that what we have isn’t enough—that we aren’t enough. And that message doesn’t just come from culture or advertising. It can live inside of us, too.
The Lie of “More”: What Are You Chasing?
Even in the ancient scriptures, we see this tension. In Luke 12, someone interrupts Jesus and says, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
And Jesus responds, “Watch out. Life doesn’t consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Then He tells this haunting story about a man who builds bigger and bigger barns to store his wealth… and then dies that very night.
It’s a wake-up call. The more we grasp and chase after “more,” the more we lose touch with what matters most.
Consumerism Is Like Gravity
Consumerism is kind of like gravity. It’s always pulling at us. If we’re not resisting it intentionally, we get swept along in its current.
To defy that gravity, we need a stronger force.
Paul gives us that force in Colossians 3 when he says,
“You died. Your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
That’s the stronger force.
You Are Not What You Own
That phrase—hidden with Christ in God—is about your truest identity. You are not defined by what you produce or accumulate, but by who you are in Christ.
When that becomes your center, you start to live a different kind of story. One not driven by comparison or competition, but by grace.
So let me ask you:
What story are you living in right now?
What’s shaping your priorities?
Are you being pulled by pressure and distraction, or grounded in the truth that you already belong in Christ?
A Lesson from the Sidewalk
There’s an image I carry from a family trip we took to Portugal a few years ago. In Portugal, the crosswalks have signs and LED lights embedded in the sidewalk that say, “Look up.”
Why? Because people were staring down at their phones and walking straight into the street.
So they placed the message exactly where people were already looking—down.
That’s such a picture of how God meets us. Not up in the clouds. Not only when we “get it together.”
God meets us right at our feet. Right where we are. In the midst of our busy, distracted, sometimes self-centered lives. And God says, “Look up.”
The Practice of Looking Up
All throughout scripture, we’re reminded to lift up our eyes.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?”
“Lift up your heads, you gates.”
“Look to the Lord and His strength.”
We don’t have to climb a mountain to reach God. God is already here. We are already present with God. The invitation is to look.
Practice Gratitude, Live Lightly
So maybe this week, the invitation is to live a little more lightly.
To practice gratitude. To unclench our grip.
To ask ourselves:
What am I chasing?
Where am I chasing more?
And if I find that I’m not trusting God, maybe it’s time to pause and say, “I have enough.”
A Community That Grounds Us
We want to be a people—a community—that helps each other remember what’s most real and most true.
You are not what you own. You are not lost. You are hidden in Christ.
So let’s live like it.
Let’s be generous. Grounded. And free.
Thanks for being here.
Grace and peace.
