Material Excess: Fabulous—Is That So Wrong?

"Yet not my will, but yours be done" Luke 22:42

Every summer following 2007, my sister and I would hop in the car on the last day of school and sing along to “What Time Is It?” from the Disney Channel movie, High School Musical 2. That was our tradition for starting the summer until we graduated. In the movie, shortly after the crew goes on summer break, one of the snootier characters, Sharpay Evans, immediately heads to her father's country club, where she sings the shallow but catchy song about wanting everything fabulous—bigger, better, and best.

It's easy to scoff at this being a funny musical number for teenage audiences, but as adults, we desire a more "bougie" lifestyle, to use a colloquial term, than we probably realize. You'd probably say, "There's nothing wrong with having nice things." Maybe you have the mindset of tempering your nice things with Godly humility. Even that approach misses the mark. You cannot serve two masters; Jesus is our all-in-all. What you own is not of your own achievement. Anything we have are gifts He has chosen to give us.

Testing Our Desire for Material Excess

Later in the movie, Sharpay's lavish lifestyle is shown to be deleterious, sending a good message to kids and adults alike about the emptiness of pursuing material excess.

Thomas à Kempis understood this human tendency when he wrote: "Desires very often inflame you and drive you madly on, but consider whether you act for My [God’s] honor, or for your own advantage." This medieval monk recognized—our desires can become so intense that they override our better judgment and spiritual discernment.

The Bible speaks directly to this struggle. James 1:14-15 warns us that we are tempted when dragged away by our own desires. The imagery here is powerful—desire can literally drag us away from God's path, just like Sharpay's pursuit of the fabulous life ultimately left her isolated and unfulfilled.

For God's Honor or Our Own?

Thomas à Kempis offers us wisdom for navigating these intense moments. He suggests we pause and ask ourselves a crucial question: Are we acting for God's honor or our own advantage? This simple test can cut through the fog of inflamed desire and help us see clearly.

The apostle Paul understood the need for going all in for God when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." Just like straining salty water from cooked pasta, every decision, from the mundane to the momentous, should be filtered through this divine purpose.

The path forward isn't to eliminate all desires—they're part of how God made us. à Kempis concluded "not every desire, which seems good should be followed immediately, nor, on the other hand, should every contrary affection be at once rejected." Instead, we're called to bring them before God, to test them against His character and purposes, and to choose the desires that align with His Kingdom.

When we feel that familiar inflation of desire beginning to drive us toward hasty action, we must honestly examine our hearts. How often are you yearning to be noticed for the trip you’re taking, the brand you're sporting, toting, or driving, and so easily forgetting that the humble life of Jesus has a timeless eternal attraction that will give you far more than fleeting status?

Always improve the present moment.