TheDiscipleMD

In 1977, a song called Luckenbach, Texas, hit the airwaves. I remember listening to it and thinking how unusual it was and what a great message it delivered. When Waylon Jennings sang about wanting to move to Luckenbach, Texas, he was essentially saying he wanted out of the material world that he and his wife were living in and that they needed to go back to a more simple and humble life. Worldly concerns have gotten worse since he sang that song. Materialism, he chimed, was killing the joy out of their lives.

As Jennings put it to his wife:

“In your high society you cry all day
We’ve been so busy keepin’ up with the Jones
Four car garage and we’re still building on” (‘Luckenbach, Texas’)

Dallin Oaks once said:

“Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy. We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride, and power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities.

Those whose highest desire is to acquire possessions fall into the trap of materialism. They fail to heed the warning “Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world” (‘Desire’, April GC, 2011)

Note that he spoke of our ‘desires.’ With the bright lights of the ‘big city’ now able to penetrate the most remote places in our homes, we can be fooled into replacing in our hearts the simple desires of service to our fellow-man, as commanded by the Savior, with the wants of fame and fortune. Ultimately, such desires, will not reward us with happy lives.

Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas
With Waylon and Willie and the boys
This successful life we’re livin’
Got us feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys
Between Hank Williams’ pain songs and
Newberry’s train songs and Blue Eyes “Cryin’ in the Rain’
Out in Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain

Keeping up with the world really does lead to a miserable life. Living a simpler life full of service to mankind has always been a recipe for a joyful heart and a happy spirit. There is a reason the Lord gave as one of his basic tenets that we should not covet. He knew that a covetous life will produce a bitter and unhappy existence.  Because He loves us He has warned us.  The gift of agency allows us to move to Babylon or…back to Luckenbach where, “ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain.”

I’ve never been to Luckenbach, Texas, but I think it is just symbolic for another name I am more familiar with; Zion!