Glutton-Free: Cultivating a Theology of Enough
Part 4: Hollywood Brings Conviction
While I was wrestling with this redefinition of gluttony I experienced conviction in a most unlikely place: a Hollywood movie. Not only is “The Man in the Iron Mask” a good Three Musketeers story, but you get to see young Leonardo DiCaprio with long hair like a girl as he plays the role of French King Louis XIV.
King Louis is everything you love to hate – a womanizing tyrant who neglects his starving people. After sleeping with a young girl, he banishes her so he can enjoy a sumptuous breakfast all to himself. Because I do not rule over a kingdom of visible subjects who suffer at my expense it is easy to think the sin of gluttony does not apply to me. But King Louis's image was still fresh in my mind when I came across this quote:
“The average Westerner lives, in many material ways at least, better than most kings of the past.” - David Maranaz in African Friends and Money Matters. Pg. 5.
Since I live in West Africa and am surrounded by poverty this quote was especially forceful. I am so used to getting what I want, when I want it, that I do not even realize I live like a king! God used the image of Leo as king and this simple quote to bring home my own guilt of gluttony.
"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."
Comments
Post a Comment