If you're familiar with the site (or those like it)... then you've seen the extra 'applications' that are available for your account... mostly games, quizzes & such. I noticed that several of my online friends were playing a simulated farming game. It looked kind of cute & they seemed to be having fun... so I thought I'd try my hand at it.
As I began... it all seemed pretty silly.
"click" to plow...
"click" to plant...
"click" to harvest...
"click" to sell your harvest...
"click" to buy more seeds...
and so on... and so on...
The idea is to build your farming empire as you go. It all seemed kind of boring at first, but after a few rounds of planting & harvesting... I began to 'learn the ropes' a little better... and, yes... I started to get a little 'hooked'.
A peek inside the farm "store" opened up a world of 'farming' amenities: not just seeds to plant... but trees, animals, fences, scarecrows, water wells, ponds, silos... why, you can even aspire to have a cute little farm house or even (gasp!) the farm mansion! The more you work your farm, the better your buying power. You can create your own little farming UTOPIA!
Well, here it is a few days later, and... I'm on the brink of HUGE virtual-farming success! I've plowed, planted, & harvested numerous crops... worked my way up the farming levels.... and, banked up quite the tidy sum of virtual farming dollars!
While I've waited for crops to grow, I've even worked on other people's farm to earn extra money. I've worked, scrimped, planned & saved. I'm all set to expand the farm property (only 5 more levels to go & I'm there!) And, THEN.... that mansion will be in my sights!
What? What was that you just thought?? ...
"How foolish!"
"Why would you spend precious minutes of your life on something of no value?"
"How deluded are you?! None of that is real... you're not really building an empire!"
Well... yeah, those are pretty good points. I was just kinda thinking about that myself! The game is seriously pointless and does fritter away the time. But, let's go bigger-picture here.... what about the game we play everyday we call 'real life'?
We work, plan, scrimp & save in 'real life' too... but are we keeping an eternal perspective in mind? I'm not saying there is anything wrong with hard work... the Bible makes that clear.
But... if we took an honest look, would we see that we are striving to build our own little earthly utopia? For those of us calling ourselves Christ-followers... that is certainly not to be our focus in this life. See, it's pretty easy for me to admit that online game has no real value, but am I willing to be honest & say the same about many of the things I'm working for in real life? That has a little more 'ouch' factor to it!
I'm just wondering... if we could stand right now on the other side of this temporal existence... how many things would we see in our lives that would prompt those very same comments?
"How foolish!"
"Why would you spend precious minutes of your life on something of no value?"
"How deluded are you?! None of that is real... you're not really building an empire!"
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
