My first car was a small manual sedan, but I treated it like my own race car. I loved the feel of manual, running through the gears, snapping out of country road turns, and definitely going way too fast.

My risky behaviors are definitely on my mind as I raise two boys. They are getting cars that are safe and slow.

I am sure that they will love cars just like I do. I am not a car nut in that I know everything about every car, but driving has been a significant part of my life ever since I turned 16. That was especially true when Olga and I started dating and were wed. We drove all around the midwest and east coast, grabbing peaks in more than a dozen states. With all that driving, having a reliable car has been important.

But Instagram encourages me to dream, not about reliability, but luxury. In a car that is beautiful and fast. One that signals to the world that I am interesting and cool. That I have money.

It is helpful to not have enough money to follow through on these temptations. But one day, maybe my kids will. How can I keep them from temptation and use their blessings for other more useful things?

China seems to agree with me that pursuing excess and luxury is not the highest value for a society. For the past couple years, China has been on campaign banning social media influencers who flaunt wealth in order to grow their influence online.

Influencers who post about their wealth are playing off the desires of humans, inciting others to covet their lavishness. They promote materialism and values that do not inherently build up the majority of people. In times like the present where the wealth gap is widening everywhere, seeing such luxury held by just a few creates discontent and rebellion, fraud and deceit.

The Chinese have created rules where only those who are credentialed are able to give advice on topics like health and finance and education. They have increased regulation on gifts so that influencers cannot exploit their audience. And they have increased scrutiny on influencers to make sure they are complying with laws.

While I do not believe we should similarly outlaw wealth-flaunters from social media, I think that there needs to be increased awareness and education as to what the aim of these influencers is: which is to trick into giving them attention as a means of somehow satisfying your basic desire for comfort and stability and mate attraction. But these influencers cannot fulfill that desire for you, and by you giving them attention you are helping them satisfy their own desires. The best solution is not to ban them, but collectively decide to give our attention to things that are more worthy. We need to decide that our community values reside not in luxury cars and watches, bags and palaces, but in something more eternal.

When the pastor rolls up to church in a Porsche, we have a problem. I would love to have one, but there are other things I value much more.

I want my time, attention, and resources to end things like poverty and violence, to encourage widows and orphans, and to bring justice to the marginalized.

May we focus on these things, and allow the devil to play with fancy toys.

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