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The natural state and activity of a consumer is consuming. From a very early age we learn to consume. It is only natural. No consumption, no growth. If you do not consume you die, quite simply there is no alternative. You cannot ask a baby to produce milk, will not happen. All through life we refine our consumerist ways, we do milk for a while, move on to puréed apples and ham, then, for some reason, French fries, Baby Einstein, on the Best Buy, Olive Garden, Ford, a mortgage, and any number of other things that are much to numerous to go into. The fact is we consume. There is really not anything wrong with it. It sustains life. We must eat, we must get to work, we must have a place to live, and a computer or maybe an iPod are nice luxuries. We are, from the get go, consumers by nature.
Our whole conception of reality is based on our experience. Such that a change in understanding requires a paradigm shift. Paradigm shifts by their nature are illusive. It is easy for one to say, “Madam, we must have paradigm shifts! We must all have paradigm shifts forthwith! We must all think, and we must all have paradigm shifts, and think each and every one of us to the very best of his ability...” That may carry my thought to a silly extent, of course it was fun if you saw The Ladykillers. The fact is that paradigm shifts are difficult. Because, what we call a paradigm is simply a thought or mindset that is so engrained in the way we do things that we don’t even know it is there. A paradigm shift ends up being very similar to starting to remodel your house by removing the floor. It is difficult to understand exactly what needs to be done to fix whatever problem requires a change in our understanding on such a vast scale as a paradigm.
So, why all the talk about paradigm shifts? Well, because we are consumers by nature and for good reason. But, we are called to more. Consumerism just don’t cut it in relationships. We see it all the time. Marriages that last 2 or 3 years because the participants had mined the relationship for all it was worth. We see parents that lose their ability to parent because they are more interested in being their child’s friend than parent. Children using their parents as an ATM. Now, don’t hear me wrong, there is some good to being your child’s friend, and parents usually have more money than their children. But, it is safe to say there is the possibility to reduce the relationship to such a basic consumer level.
It can happen with God too. We carry our innate consumer mentality into our relationship with God. God wants to bless you with this or that. God loves you, He wants what is best for you, and it looks like a new house, a new car, a job promotion, I feel you probably get the gist by now. We can look in the bible and read stories that could be no further from that. For example, the Apostle Paul went through countless hardships in his life. Towards the end he said, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure(1 Timothy 4:6 NIV). Paul was giving out like crazy. He spent time in jail, he was “flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times [he] received …the forty lashes minus one. Three times [he] was beaten with rods, once [he] was stoned, three times [he] was shipwrecked, [he] spent a night and a day in the open sea (2 Corinthians 11:23 25 NIV).” He goes one to talk about how he was constantly on the move, in danger from rivers, bandits, his own countrymen, the gentiles, in cities, in the country, in the sea, and false brothers. He labored and toiled, went with out sleep, was hungry and thirsty, even cold and naked (2 Corinthians 11:26, 27). Brother had it bad. It is safe to say Paul was no consumer. That man was used up, poured out big time.
We also see the early follower of Christ named Stephen. He was out doing “great wonders and miraculous signs among the people(Acts 6:8 NIV).” Got the attention of a lot of people that did not like his wonders and miracles. Stephen ended up dead because of his life of surrender. He too was poured out, used up, consumed.
I urge you, be consumed. That is no easy way. It does not come natural. When you come and get together with other followers, when you go out from that get together, when you are in school, when you talk to your boss and coworkers, when you eat at Crispers, be a consumee. It will not likely be easy, it will very likely require some pain and sacrifice. And there is very likely no but to be had in the whole sentence. We cannot simply say, be consumed and make a sacrifice, but it will be ok because God will give you this or that. No, there may possibly be no reward, there could be a great reward, but there could just as easily be no reward. Of course, the good thing is, we have already won, (sounds like it may make a good song). Christ is glorified in the cross. His grace abounds and we are His. It is not merely our duty to serve, our consumption is not based on an obligation. Christ is glorified, He carries everything you could never be in grace and an ultimate God sized love that is worthy. I mean, He gave us a way out of our tangled little messes so that we can have a profound existence unequalled by our finite earthy imaginations. I mean come on, He created the universe, do you know how big that is?

Be consumed, get closer, and love much!