I can’t believe all the sales this year. First there was Black Friday, and that happened the week BEFORE Thanksgiving… and it wasn’t just one day, it was like a week! I’ll bet I received more than a hundred emails touting things that I just must have to make my life better… Guess what? I don’t need more stuff…
And then we had small business Saturday, which prompted another hundred or so emails. How about Cyber Monday, supposedly the largest online shopping day of the year. If you had any money left, there was Giving Tuesday, and on and on and on. But what surprised me this year was the fact that the sales continued through all this other “noise.” I don’t remember things being so overt in former years.
In case you don’t know, Black Friday is supposedly the day of the year that retail businesses finally turn a profit after being in the red all year… And Cyber Monday is the largest online shopping day because years ago, businesses had faster internet that people at home, if they had internet at all, and so people went into work and used their employers’ computers to start their Christmas shopping. I hope that I don’t need to get into the ethics of this practice.
But back to the deals… Everyday, there has been a different take on the same deal… Some of the worst abusers are shameless in their constant pressure to purchase stuff! Now I realize that we are in the Christmas season, but this year we have really lost the “reason for the season” – and it doesn’t have anything to do with buying more “stuff.” I think it was George Carlin who said that houses are places where we store our stuff while we go out to buy more stuff… how true!
Let’s face it. Marketing is becoming so targeted and sophisticated that it is difficult for most of us to stay immune to the powerful messages that we receive in our inboxes and message apps. You say something in your kitchen about something you have been thinking about and the next time you go on FaceBook, you are inundated with adds for the product you casually mentioned over breakfast.
I admit that I am perplexed by the sales this year. On one hand, they say that purchasing is up by 3-1/2% or so, while other tracking services say that buying is down. I don’t think they know one way or the other what is really happening. I do know that we don’t need more stuff at our house…While we are at it, I might as well say that most families have gone really overboard when it comes to giving gifts. We need to show restraint and provide good guidance for our younger generations.
We are as guilty as the next family when it comes to acquiring stuff. We don’t need all the space we have in our home – nor do we need all the stuff we have it filled with. This year, we have tried to set a better example for the rest of the family. We are still driving older cars, we have repaired Christmas decorations rather than buy “new” and there are many other examples of being prudent with our finances. But, admittedly, it is a constant battle. In fact, this past years, we pulled the lights of an older pre-lit tree and restrung the tree with led lights. That was a much bigger project than I anticipated, but I did have a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when it was completed…
It seems to me that “living small” has become a thing. You know, smaller house, fewer cars, less stuff, etc. And it is scary when you look at the stats and realize that the new average age to purchase a first home is approaching 44 years old… I can’t believe it. Escalations in price in conjunction with runaway home prices are making it difficult for people to become homeowners. It doesn’t help when the prices of everything are running wild as well. But income isn’t keeping pace with spending.
The best answer is for us to resist the temptation to keep purchasing stuff – and to set an example for our younger generations. I can hardly believe how difficult it will be for even our older generations to retire. Average savings and investments for most families are abysmal.
Our verse for tonight is from the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi. Paul tells his church, in Philippians 4:11-13, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
My encouragement this evening is that God is sufficient for us. We should find our identity in Christ, not in the stuff that we acquire. My prayer is that this Christmas season, we can show restraint when it comes to all the “deals” that find their way to us – and remember that the birth of Jesus is the reason for the season. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…