Culture Traps: Pleasure Over Purpose

Pleasure over purpose means choosing the temporary over the eternal. It is doing what I want to do today no matter what. It is about me and my pleasure. Some would want us to believe that this “pleasure over purpose” idea came with a new generation, but you if you look back far enough, you’ll see that selfishness has been around a long time. Look at Adam and Eve in the first book of the Bible. Their purpose was their relationship with God and tending to the beautiful garden where He put them. They had everything anyone could want. Yet, by the third chapter of Genesis, they chose pleasure by eating a piece of fruit from a tree God said was hands off.

All of us are vulnerable to making the same choice every day. What is your purpose? What gives meaning to your life and the ones you love? At the end of your life what do you want people to say, think and feel about you? At that time, most of us would want purpose:  A life well lived, following God’s plan, loving others well.  

If a life of purpose is my ultimate goal, then what I do today determines in some way whether I reach that goal or not. What do I choose today? What do you choose today? Does this mean you cannot have pleasure? No, of course not! It simply means that pleasure cannot override purpose. For example, there is nothing wrong with buying a new car -- unless it takes me away from purpose. If my identity becomes wrapped up in my new car, then my purpose will get lost,  at least for the short term.

What is your purpose? Do the things you are doing today point to that purpose or to pleasure? If purpose, keep on pursuing. If not, what would it take to get you on track? Why not take that first step today?