The Dangerous Hamster Wheel of a Materialistic Lifestyle

An actress once said, “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.” We can sometimes get so caught up in doing something that we forget to ask whether we should be doing it at all, or how it could be shaping and changing us for the worse. The American dream far too often turns into a nightmare of epic proportions. By the time we realize it, we’re already hip-deep into it.

The Lord made us as ensouled bodies, or embodied souls; whichever way you put it, we are spiritual and physical beings, made from the dust of the ground, but with the breath of God inside us (Genesis 2:7). Our bodies and spirits need sustenance, though we often find ourselves looking after one over the other. Our material needs can seem more pressing than other needs, leading us to value the things that meet those needs.

If a person becomes materialistic, it can introduce an imbalance in their life that’s detrimental to their wellbeing.

Why Materialism Is a Hamster Wheel

Of the many things that Jesus spoke about, money was a frequent topic. He understood how anxious we get about what we will eat, drink, or wear, and a lot of His teaching was to help His disciples become free of the anxieties about these things (Matthew 6:19-34; Luke 12:13:34). When we don’t know what tomorrow brings, it seems our first instinct is to worry about it and try to future-proof our lives.

Most of us wouldn’t call ourselves materialistic. Materialism can be understood as valuing physical or tangible things more than we value spiritual things. A materialist person could even be described as living as though the only reality, or the only one that matters, is what we can see, taste, or feel.

If you’re materialistic, that could mean that you presume that having more stuff is a good thing, that the more you own the happier you’ll be. Likewise, you feel you need to show how wealthy you are by buying and displaying your expensive things. There’s a concept called conspicuous consumption, where people buy and own things not because they necessarily enjoy what they bought, but because of what being seen to own these things means.

Being materialistic is like running a race that never ends. Once you commit to the cycle of buying and consuming to be happy or to appear wealthy, you get locked in and need to continue buying more. However, every year there’s a new model of each trinket. The commercials will be sure to let you know that you’re missing out by not upgrading. That’s what makes materialism a hamster wheel.

The Dangers of a Materialistic Lifestyle

Materialism is a hamster wheel because once you commit to it, you’re stuck in the same patterns and value system, day in and day out. What at first promised freedom and a sense of peace and self-worth ends up delivering an insecurity. It constantly feeds upon itself. You need to keep running on the hamster wheel to stay in one place, and it’s not always a happy place.

Americans have more clutter in their homes than ever before thanks to fast fashion, same-day shipping, wholesalers and warehouse supermarkets that sell things to us cheaply and easily. It’s never been easier to acquire things, and to declare our social status through the things we own. One downside is that the more we have, the more anxious we tend to be over the things we own. Our stuff seems to be owning us as much as we own it.

Another danger in presuming that having more stuff is a good thing, and that the more you own the happier you’ll be, is that materialism keeps you trapped. You have to keep working and earning at the same or a greater level to maintain that lifestyle and the appearance of wealth.

If having stuff is what animates your life, you may find that it won’t necessarily make you happy in the long term. A sustained focus on acquiring things may result in neglecting other important facets of your life like your relationships or your health. In the end, when all is said and done, we don’t crave the presence of our things on our deathbed; rather, it’s the presence of our loved ones and cherished memories made with them that matter most.

Spiritually, the relentless pursuit of material goods can also be problematic. The following Scripture may be a helpful reminder of the limits and dangers of wanting to accumulate wealth above other considerations. Paul wrote the following to his protégé Timothy:

But godliness with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. – 1 Timothy 6:6-10, NIV

Our hearts can be drawn away from the faith by the pursuit of money and wealth. You may make compromises, cut corners, destroy relationships, and neglect other things that sustain your wellness because you are pursuing things that you can’t take with you when you die. Loving money; that is, cherishing it and giving it priority in your life, can start you down a path where you commit many evils to obtain and keep it. Such love can rival the love we ought to show God alone.

We become like what we worship (Isaiah 44:6-23), and when we worship things, we can end up dehumanizing ourselves and others. It becomes easier to exploit others and ignore their pain and suffering. We can end up hollow and shallow echoes of what the Lord intends for us to be and become. Our happiness and peace are fleeting and unstable if we attempt to root it in what we own.

Neutering Materialism in Your Life

Materialism can take hold of us in subtle and imperceptible ways. The culture we live in often measures the worth of a person based on what they own, or the potential they have for helping us acquire stuff. Our culture produces and consumes content about the lives of the affluent. It often stirs up envy and discontent with what we have. Their lives, or perhaps the things they own, become part of our own life goals.

To bring materialism under control in your life, it’s important to understand the role it plays in your life. We can lose an appreciation of the simplicity of a hearty meal shared among friends in favor of more sophisticated fare that communicates status. We can forget the wise saying that goes, “Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.” (Proverbs 15:17, NIV)

We all have deep yearnings for community and to fit in. We have needs, including the desire to feel safe, seen, known, and loved, that need to be met. Somehow, our culture has arrived at the place where we believe that we can meet these deep needs and a sense of wholeness by having more things that we own. Instead, we should begin to recognize how misguided it is to try and meet such deep needs with such shallow means.

A person’s identity and sense of worth can’t be pegged to the things they own. We are far more than what we have or don’t have. Every person is valuable because they are made in God’s image and loved unimaginably (Genesis 1:27; Ephesians 3:18-19; Romans 5:6-8; John 3:16-17). Materialism can also be combatted through cultivating gratitude. Instead of wanting more, give thanks for what you do have, in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Lastly, materialism can also be addressed by recognizing the various ways it undermines us and our wellbeing. Pause, self-reflect, and consider whether it’s delivered what it promised. Have you become more anxious with more things owned? Are you anxious to keep and afraid to lose what you have? You can do this work by yourself, or you can talk with someone like a Christian counselor who can help you address your anxieties by grounding your identity in Christ.

Call our offices today if you would like to get started. We will make an appointment for you with one of our skillful counselors. They will help you dig into root causes and fears that drive your desire to live a materialistic life.