Have you noticed that Internet sites and videos now come with advertising? And this is the year of the angry radical, shouting for something and burning things down.

Everyone wants a piece of us.

In the last few days, we had some early cold weather. Our rain barrel is frozen over and I can’t break the ice. I would break it because I saw a big bird, a magpie, trying to get a drink of water.

The bad news for the birds might be good for us. We have experienced some petty crime in our neighborhood, and the police don’t like to get involved, if the offenders look poor. It was becoming scary, and then the cold weather came, and kept most of us in warm places. I feel safer in the cold. Also, several elections will happen in the next few weeks, and maybe people will stop bickering and shouting so much, when decisions are made. We could use some peace, in this troubled year 2020.

What is important to you?

If I went out to a busy place and asked people about what mattered to them, I would get some angry answers about politics, race, and a dangerous virus. That magpie wants a sip of water. Peace would be mentioned by almost everyone, and some people would have personal answers.

We all seem to care about things, but strangely, we are all saying the same thing. Only one thing really matters. What does the world want from you? What is the most important part of you?

Something invisible.

When politicians argue and try to get our attention, they want something from us. They want us to vote, and continue voting for them. They want us to believe in them long-term. When you buy a car, the salesman wants you to bring it back when it is old, and trade up to a new one. I get loyalty points when I buy gas. I have over ninety dollars right now, and I am very loyal to that company. I calculate my fuel stops carefully, to get the most points; exactly what they want. The loud social arguments in this year are designed to capture our loyalty; angry people want our support. Sexually explicit pornography is not a one-time experience; the vendors want repeat business. Drug dealers want addicts to come back.

This is a strange idea, in our material world, but everyone wants us to believe. No business can succeed with a one-time sale. Loyal customers who believe can bring in a fortune, and that is why we have advertising.

I know this is a strange topic, and it’s not easy for me to describe, but we don’t live in a material world. Our most important things are invisible, and we all know that. “So, we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Someone out there understands this. We have a popular song on the radio, and it has this message: “So why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, dream? Maybe the most beautiful things in this life are felt and never seen.”

Repeat business, loyalty, trust, and belief are all one thing. Everyone wants our faith. When we give that, we give ourselves. That is the real fight in this world. You are the most valuable thing in your space, and you belong where you put your faith.

In this troubled year, I hope we find this truth. We are always pulled to believe and to give our loyalty, ourselves, to someone. The only choice is where we send ourselves.

Jesus asked us to come His way:

Because you have so little faith. I tell you this: if you had even a faint spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If you had just a sliver of faith, you would find nothing impossible. (Matthew 17:20)