The following is an article that I penned for an online devotional group in 2007, but the principles are still the same.
Frivolous Opulence
This dessert is the holder of the "Guiness Book of World Records" for the most expensive sundae on the planet. Behold the Golden Opulence Sundae, painstakenly constructed by Serendipty 3, a posh restaurant in New York City. The scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with smokey Madagascar vanilla are coated in 23 carat edible gold leaf "which leaves a ring of gold dust around people's
mouths."1
This incredible treat is eaten with an 18 carat gold spoon, and a mother-of-pearl spoon is reserved for the mini-bowl of sweetened, de-salted caviar that rests on top of the dessert. The price? A mere $1000. And I thought a large banana split was "over the top!"
While this creation in all its decadence creates a flurry of sensationalism throughout the world's media outlets, the important significance of someone actually succumbing to the purchase of it shouldn't be ignored. How much is enough? Even more importantly, how much is too much?
Dish of Ice Cream Gives Value?
The purveyors of luxurious concoctions such as these often use the conceit of human pride to make the sale. "You deserve it, you're worth it!," they exclaim. The tragic reality remains, that there are actually proud people who believe that eating a $1000 dessert helps the world see their value. I personally find it lamentable that an expensive dish of ice cream could somehow solidify the idea that someone has incredible personal value.
Status symbols abound in this life, from expensive automobiles to over-the-top desserts. Humanity clamours for a way to adequately express that we are individually valuable beyond measure, but that amazing fact has already been established thousands of years ago.
Check out this potent verse from the Bible; "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son" (John 3:16).
When we internalize that the Creator of the universe saw that kind of value in humanity, it gives us cause to wonder why we often feel the need to go around trying to prove our personal worth to everyone. There's no way to improve on the opulent gift that God has already given. If God's sacrifice doesn't prove what an incredible treasure we are to the Almighty, then spending astonishing amounts of cash on stuff that we don't need won't get us any closer.
