We had a water leak in our house this week. Before making the decision about whether we needed to hire somewhere like this professional burlington water damage restoration company to come and help us resolve any water damage we may have, we decided to give it a thorough inspection by ourselves first. Luckily, the damage wasn’t as extensive as we thought, so we decided to go it alone. In cleaning it up, we had some fans blowing in the house for four days along with some minimal dry wall and hard wood damage. All in all, it was inconvenient for our family, and we had plenty of time to gripe about it amongst ourselves.

Here’s the thing, though – the water leak didn’t come because we didn’t have a roof. Nor did it come from a tsunami that swept through the community. Nor did it happen because the well malfunctioned and we were left wondering whether we had anything to drink. The water came from an icemaker installed into the middle of our kitchen island.

I bring that up as a matter of perspective. We had a water leak because we had an icemaker. In our kitchen island. Installed. The conclusion is that our problem came from our relative affluence. Less affluence doesn’t mean less problems, it just means the problems change. And there are certain problems or issues you have as a result of your affluence.

The same thing is true theologically. When you find yourself in a time and place of relative peace and prosperity, some of the theological issues you have are there because of that affluence. They are, in other words, luxuries for those who have the ability to think about them. Here are three such luxuries I can see in my own life:

1. Introspection

Introspection is not a bad thing. Paul told us to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5), and he made introspection his regular practice. But introspection can quickly go wrong. We can dive so deeply down the rabbit hole of introspection that we make knowing ourselves an end in itself. Introspection must serve the end of holiness and obedience and humility – we examine ourselves so that we might know that which is keeping the gospel from being firmly planted inside us. We examine ourselves to know that which we truly are tempted to love more than God. We examine ourselves so that we can know the depth of our own sinfulness in order that we might treat others with kindness for they, too, are in the same desperate need of the gospel that we are.

But we have the luxury of overindulgent introspection. Along with that luxury must come the recognition that we are constantly tempted to dethrone God in favor of ourselves.

2. Cynicism

This, too, is a luxury of our affluence. Because we live in a day and time replete with podcasts, music, sermons on demand, and every book ever published within a few clicks, we can easily become convinced that we have seen it all before. This, of course, is true in a sense – there is nothing new under the sun. Where we go wrong in this, though is when we turn up our noses and doubt the simplicity and wonder another finds in singing the songs that we have sung one too many times or reading the passage that we have already underlined.

We can easily become cynics instead of time and time again being astonished by the grace that has saved us and the grace in which we now stand.

3. Boredom

We are a people who love to be entertained. All the time. In fact, I’d venture to say that the fear of being in a place at a time without something to amuse ourselves is one of our greatest fears. I feel it deep within myself. That’s why I always have the phone charged, always have the book ready, always have something to do because, heaven forbid, I don’t know what I would do if I were left with just me and my own thoughts.

As with our cynicism, we have seen and heard it all before, and so we are constantly craving something more. Something else. This, too, is an effect of our affluence. We are enamored with the latest and greatest, and that can very often lure us away from the gospel simply because the gospel is not the latest. It’s the same as it was, as it is, and as it will be.

The affluent state most of us find ourselves in is not bad; nor is it sinful and and of itself. It does, however, given us opportunities that those who in past or present who have been in more desperate need have not had. But in the end, these luxuries are another chance for us to return to the old, old story, of a Savior come from glory – who gave His life on Calvary, to save a wretch like me.