The Vanity Trap: A Gentle Reality Check

"Vanity Will Kill You": Music Legend Rodney Jerkins Opens Up About Industry Burnout

Let's talk about vanity, shall we? And before you roll your eyes and click away, stick with me here—this isn't your typical finger-wagging sermon.

Vanity will murder you if you let it. Harsh? Maybe. True?

Let Me Cook!

Absolutely. Vanity is vicious and lacks mercy, operating in absolutes that would make a Sith Lord proud. It's painfully literal, seeing the world in stark black and white: beautiful or ugly, rich or poor, kind or mean, generous or selfish, truth or lie. No gray areas, no nuance, no room for the beautifully messy reality of being human. Here's the uncomfortable truth: so much of this life is pure vanity and striving after wind. When we really examine what life is about according to societal standards, much of it is—dare I say it—meaningless. I'd love to say all of it is meaningless, but that might be an exaggeration (and I'm trying to be nice here), so I'll settle for much of it.

Mike Tyson, dropped some wisdom on producer Rodney Jerkins when he said "vanity will kill you"—and he is absolutely correct. The fact of the matter is that vanity is the road to witchcraft because it prompts one to sow into the flesh to reap the flesh.

Look at the entertainment industry as a whole—it's built on vanity, which explains the carnal culture of it all. They who sow into the flesh reap the flesh, and the harvest of the flesh is death. But the harvest of the Spirit? That's life. Since the things of the spirit are foolishness to the carnal man, he goes on tending to his flesh, thinking his human wisdom will give him life.

Here's the paradox that'll twist your brain: only a man who has killed his flesh understands the death of it. He also understands that only a dead man can receive eternal life. (I told you this would get deep.)

The Great Deception: Vanity's False Promise

It's funny because vanity is so alluring yet deceptive at the same time. (And by funny, I mean tragic, but we're keeping things light here.) Vanity deceives you into believing that your aesthetic will balance the extremities of your pleasure—but this false balance is abominable. Want evidence? Just look at the harvest: fornication, uncleanness, idolatry, hatred, violence, strife, envy, discord, wrath, murders, drunkenness, and all the other delightful fruit of the flesh that vanity produces. These are the bountiful crops of vanity's garden. Quite the portfolio, isn't it? Here's the thing: the flesh left to itself will always result in a false balance of life. But the flesh submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit? That will produce a just balance, which is a delight. Same flesh, different management—completely different outcome.

What We Really Want (Spoiler: It's Not What Instagram Tells Us)

Here's where it gets interesting. Almost everything we truly want is intangible and priceless. We want love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness. Notice anything about this list? Each and every one of these things is a trait of the Holy Spirit—His fruit, if you will. And here's the kicker: you simply can't have the harvest without planting the seed that bears that fruit. You can't download the Holy Spirit like an app (though wouldn't that be convenient?). Which is why it's so imperative that if you haven't already, you make it a point to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. In that moment, you receive the impartation of the Holy Spirit and can look forward to the harvest of His fruit: love, joy, peace, kindness, meekness, self-control, patience, long-suffering. If you've already accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, congratulations—you literally already have the harvest of that fruit within you. But here's where the work comes in (because of course there's work involved): to spring it forth, you need to meditate on the word of God Day and night so that you can be sure to do all that is in it and be prosperous and successful in all your ways.

The Art of Being in but Not Of

This brings us to a beautiful paradox. Paying too much attention to the world is the epitome of being of the world. But paying more attention to the things of God and the word of God than to the world? That's the fulfillment of scripture's instruction to be in the world but not of it. So let us be in the world—this world of vanity that we have to participate in (because, let's face it, we still need jobs and grocery stores and Wi-Fi). But let us not be of the world and become a vain people chasing after wind when we could be chasing after something infinitely more substantial. The choice, as they say, is yours. Choose wisely.