I recently returned from a week-long business trip, which turned out to be an unbelievable experience. A conference with some of the nation's most successful salesmen and lecturers, combined with what promised to be some very fruitful sales calls, meant that this would more than likely be a great trip. I had very high expectations, but upon arriving at the hotel, my enthusiasm quickly dwindled. To put it plainly, the hotel was far from luxurious, and I wasn't thrilled about staying in one of its rooms.
Nonetheless, I reluctantly accepted a key from the lady at the front desk and made my way toward the room. Warily, I opened the door and took a peek inside. It wasn't encouraging, and I hesitated to step into the room, letting the door shut back. I paused for a minute to reflect on the situation. This was going to be a week-long stay, and I didn't want to be living in squalor the entire week, so I decided that it might be worth my while to invest a little time up front to make the hotel room a comfortable place to stay. I opened the door again, and this time I stepped in, taking in my surroundings and a deep breath at the same time.
I glanced at the stark white walls, smudged with grimy fingerprints from past guests, and I thought to myself, "This simply won't do." After all, I was going to be staying in this room for 5 whole days. I grabbed the telephone book and looked up the closest hardware store. It was within walking distance, so I put on my coat and headed toward the store. I picked out a nice shade of wine-colored red paint, bought a gallon and some painting supplies, and made my way back toward the room. I started to get excited, thinking of how great it would look on the wall. What a difference it was going to make! It took me all evening to finish, but when I stepped back and surveyed, it gave me chills. It looked absolutely incredible, although I realized that the cheap paintings that had been up before would have to be replaced with some nicer artwork. I decided I would get to that later, but after a hard day's work it was time to hit the hay. I had a big day planned for Tuesday.
I woke up bright and early, excited for my next project. If I was going to stay here for 4 more days, I wanted it to be perfect. What needed attention right now was the flooring. The hunter green commercial carpet, spotted with old gum and various other stains, was the obvious thing to tackle next. I grabbed a fraying edge of carpet from the corner of the room and pulled at it. It came up more easily than I expected, but as I looked around, I realized it was going to take a lot of work for me to get all the carpet up, given that I was going to have to work around the furniture. I grabbed the phone book again and found a local contractor who was willing to take care of it that morning, and I booked him on the spot. He showed up shortly thereafter, and after making sure he knew what to do, I headed back to the hardware store to pick out my flooring.
I picked a nice medium shade of laminate wood flooring. I didn't want to be ridiculous, so I staved off the urge to splurge on the luxury hardwood flooring, though it was what I really wanted. But the laminate turned out to be the best choice because the store was able to do same-day installation, so I went ahead and settled for it. Back at the hotel room, the workers began to install the new flooring, and I decided to go out for the afternoon so that I wouldn't be in their way. I returned a few hours later to find gleaming wood floors, beautifully contrasted against my wine-colored walls. I wished now that I had taken before pictures, because no one would have believed the difference! I went to bed that night smiling, overjoyed with how my room was turning out.
I woke up Wednesday morning realizing that I probably needed to do a little work on my finances, just to make sure that I would have enough money to finish this project. I was almost halfway through my visit, so I didn't have much time left to accomplish this remodel, and I couldn't allow low funds to get in my way. I spent the entire day watching the stock market and talking on the phone with my personal investor. It seemed a little like a wasted day, but after several beneficial trades, it paid off, and I knew my finances were sitting pretty. I could finally relax, knowing that I would have enough money to make my room into the nicest room in the hotel, and I slept soundly that night.
The next morning I woke and assessed the room, looking for what needed to be done next. I had only 2 days left to transform my room into the perfect hotel room, and that meant I needed to get busy! I noticed how shabby the furniture now looked. It was obviously cheap furniture, and it paled in comparison to my colorful walls and shiny new floor. Furniture shopping was definitely the plan for the day.
I shopped for hours and hours. I mean, I didn't want to be absurd and spend loads of money on outrageously luxurious furniture, but I wasn't exactly looking for particle-board either. A girl's got standards, you know, and I wasn't about to settle for boxed furniture in my room. It took me several hours, but I finally found the perfect bed set, along with a table and chairs that complemented it well. I also found some excellent paintings to replace the old artwork, and a couple of designer lamps for the nightstands. The lamps and paintings were a little pricey, but I knew it would be worth it once I saw the whole package together. The best thing about it was that it was all in stock, so they were able to deliver it in the time it took me to get back to my room.
The delivery guys did a great job of putting together and arranging the furniture, and they even loaded off the old junky furniture. It took me a little while to get the paintings hung and the lamps set up on the nightstands. I stepped back and took a look around once I was finished. It was breath-taking, but I quickly realized that the comforter and sheets looked terribly pitiful now, compared to all my new furnishings. I headed out to the closest home store and picked out a new bedding set. I slept so well that night on my brand new 1200 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets!
I woke up Friday morning feeling great after an excellent night's sleep in my near-perfect room. There were a few loose ends that I was hoping to wrap up, but I started to think I might need more time. This was my last day, and I wasn't sure I could turn 'near-perfect' into 'perfect' in just one day. I reached for my phone to call the front desk, intending to ask for an extension on my reservation, but my phone began ringing before I could dial. I checked the caller ID and saw it was my boss. "Good morning!" I answered, in a chipper tone. My new room made me happy, and I couldn't help that it showed up in my voice. My boss's tone, on the other hand, was a bit less animated and far more austere.
He immediately began pounding me with questions. He wanted to know why I hadn't made it to the conference and why I hadn't scheduled any sales meetings with any of the local customers, let alone made any sales. I let him know that this had been a very busy week for me, transforming my ordinary hotel room into my dream hotel room. It dawned on me that pictures would be very helpful in explaining to him, so I told him that I'd have to give him a call right back, and I hung up. I took a quick picture of the room, being careful to include all the new and enticing amenities. I quickly texted it to my boss, gave him a few minutes to receive it, and then I called him back.
I expected him to be pleased when he answered, but he seemed even more perturbed. What was this guy's deal? I was so sure that when he saw how great the room looked, he would realize that this had been a very productive week for me, and I would be in for a verbal pat on the back. But instead of praise, he seemed to have more than a few harsh words to give. He was unreasonably angry with me, and among all his ranting, the only word I was really able to make out was 'idiot.' I guess I just don't get it. I thought he would be happy for me that I had taken this room he paid for and turned it into a beautiful haven. After all, this new room made me very happy. I guess you just can't please them all.
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While I'm certain you know that this story is wholly fictional, extreme and utterly absurd, I fear that very few will acknowledge the degree to which this illustration often models our spiritual lives. I just want to remind my fellow Christians that we're sojourners here. This world is not our home. That is to say, this world is not our eternal home. Our citizenship is in heaven according to Philippians 3:20, and as citizens of heaven, our focus is on the eternal, not the material. Our duty on earth is to fulfull our eternal purpose, not to enrich our earthly lives as in James 5:5.
When our time, talents and resources are dedicated to beauty, pride and material gain, we're doing nothing more than remodeling the hotel room that is our life. We invest in this temporary space, only to leave it behind when this vapor of our life vanishes. (James 4:14) And while I don't wish for anyone to infer that any of life's luxuries are inherently evil, and I certainly am not implying that I have this all figured out and in control in my life, I do hope that we take time to consider where our treasure truly lies. Because where our treasure is, our heart is as well. Where is your heart?
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21
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