Something of Substance in a World of Trivial Trends

I wonder what my friend posted on social media today. What’s the latest fashion trend? What’s the latest show or movie? What’s cool? What’s funny? What’s interesting? What can I buy? Where will I go on my next vacation? What can I join? What can I learn or know more about? The list goes on… It’s as though the world around us keeps us scrolling and searching to be entertained or to pause and notice something novel that might be trending. We see this among youth today, but if we’re honest, this could be any one of us. There’s a rhythm to our week and a habit to our train of thought. As time goes on, we might be sensing that the things we so often get caught up with are trivial and don’t matter — they don’t have much substance or real meaning. What’s missing? What are we really needing or looking for?

 

There’s an ancient Hebrew word that perfectly captures what’s missing: “kavod.” This word, “kavod,” can be translated to mean glory, weight, or substance. Think of the time you cared for a loved one when they were sick in the hospital. Remember the time you spent patiently helping your child learn to read. Recall the moment a friend was vulnerable and told you what was really going on in their life. That first encounter with the overwhelming, incredible love of God. These are all moments of “kavod”—weighty moments that really mattered. We know they mattered because they involved true honesty, sacrificial love, unwavering commitment, or perhaps a gracious embrace. They were not trivial moments, pretending to be something we’re not, surface happiness, or picture-perfect experiences.

 

In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites had no king and often did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25), which included all kinds of idolatry and no respect for God. God had already warned them before that if they were to worship other gods and disobey His good ways for them, they would be destroyed (Joshua 24:20). With this context in mind, it’s no wonder that when the Israelites were attacked by the Philistines, they were defeated. To make matters worse, they thought they could use the Ark of God like a good luck charm going into battle again against the Philistines. Sadly, this resulted in them losing 30,000 soldiers that day, as well as losing the Ark of God itself. Eli’s daughter-in-law gave birth around this time and named her child “Ichabod,” which means “where is the glory?” because the glory of God had departed from Israel. During the Ark of God’s captivity, the Israelites continued life as usual. The tabernacle of God still stood, but people still worshipped foreign gods like Baal and Ashtoreth. They wanted God’s victory, but they didn’t care for God’s holiness. They wanted God’s favor, but they didn’t care for God’s presence. They continued in their empty, meaningless practices.

 

Perhaps our lives may appear like the Israelites at the time the Ark of God was captured. For us today, idolatry may not always look like someone bowing down to a stone statue. It can look like caring more about what other people think than what God thinks. It can look like giving so much of our time trying to be successful that we neglect our time with God or people we love. It can look like spending our time scrolling endlessly on social media and forgetting about the more important things that God wants us to pay attention to. Why do we do things like this? Could it be that we think looking at more content will make us more knowledgeable, but we end up starving for wisdom? Could it be that we think responding to every notification will result in more connection, but we end up feeling more isolated? We want to build a full and meaningful life, but it’s not working. What we get instead is more anxiety, restlessness, and desperation because this world is without “kavod,” without glory, weight, or substance.

 

I’m so glad God doesn’t leave us in “Ichabod” forever, wondering where is the glory? In 1 Samuel 6, we read that the Philistines were desperate to return the Ark of the God of Israel back with a guilt offering because of all the terror it brought to their people during the 7 months it was in their land. This happened simply because of the grace and goodness of God, not because of anything the Israelites did. Later, Israel’s new judge, Samuel, tells God’s people that if they “are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines” (1 Samuel 7:3 NLT). The Israelites did just as Samuel instructed, and they went on to defeat the Philistines because the Lord was true to His word. When the Ark of God returned and God’s people “determined to obey only the Lord,” they were choosing to worship God alone, to direct their hearts to Him and serve only Him. In other words, they beheld God’s glory and experienced the weightiness of His presence, His love, His holiness, and His power. When we behold God’s glory, we stop living for trivial trends that have no substance. We can no longer settle for empty practices because God’s real presence is so much better.

 

We were created to not only behold God’s glory, but to carry it too. When we have made a choice to obey the Lord and direct our hearts to Him, serving Him alone, our lives can’t help but declare His glory, His weight, and His substance. God’s presence and His reality become the dominating force in our lives that occupies our thoughts and interests, propelling our decisions and habits. It’s not about being perfect or getting it right all the time; rather, it’s about the transformation that comes from being with the glorious weightiness of God every day. It’s a way of living that the world around us can’t ignore because we carry something real—something our culture can’t explain. This might look like having peace before an exam because rather than cramming and stressing, time is taken to bring all fear and anxiety to the Lord in prayer. Or it might look like a deep desire to make a difference in school or work, finding a way to run the Alpha course so that others can know the God who loves them and has a purpose for their life. Carrying God’s glory might even look like finding ways to encourage and bless those who are lonely over the holidays.

 

The people of Israel experienced life without God’s glory (“Ichabod”) and then with His glory again (“kavod”). One way of living led to destruction, while the other led to victory. In our lives, we can continue living in the emptiness of trivial trends, or we can live with something of substance that comes from directing our hearts to God and serving Him alone. Our world today looks for meaning in things that so often do not lead us into the glorious presence of God, and we can get caught up with its ways and habits, but we don’t have to live that way. God’s glory, “kavod,” can return to fill our lives, our homes, and our generation. We can behold the weightiness of His presence each day and be transformed by it. Instead of being swept up in the cultural trends of the day, we can impact culture and set trends that reflect the Kingdom of God. As we head into Christmas and into a new year, let us make the weighty presence of God the central point our lives revolve around.