The Mirage of Stuff

In a talk I listened to recently, it mentioned a story about greyhound dogs. These dogs are the slick racing dogs that are trained to race after a mechanical rabbit. The only problem is, its a mechanical rabbit. These dogs, because of the time they spend in training, and their experience, don’t even recognize a real rabbit when they see one. They have been completely fooled by the mirage of a fake rabbit, or a pharisaic (inside joke) rabbit if you will. One that looks like a rabbit, runs like rabbit, but when you peel off the furry outside, its nothing but cold steel inside.

In the race of our lives, we need to catch ourselves before we get caught up in the mirage of chasing fake rabbits, and be able to look at things through the perspective of the big questions…

1. Where did we come from?

2. Why are we here?

3. Where are we going after this life?

We need to guard against the constant barrage of temptations that may, on their face, not seem so bad. For instance, is it so bad to want a larger, nicer home for your family? Wouldn’t a nicer car be so much safer for my family to drive around in? All these questions are rhetorical and not meant to pass judgement on anybody at all, but this is exactly how we get caught up in the treasures of the world. Sometimes that stupid mechanical rabbit looks super realistic. Is there anything wrong with working hard, earning a good living, and providing for the family? Of course not! Quite the opposite is true. It is our duty to do so. But, not at the expense of losing sight of what a real rabbit looks like.

Proverbs 11:28 “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch”

D&C 6:7 “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.”

Mathew 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasure upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”