I'm sure it's been said before by others (and probably by me as well--just ask my husband) but it seems that America's new religion is Shopping for Stuff. It appears that we have swapped celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with celebrating the Stuff-Shopping Festival which commences with frenzied rituals on Black Friday, proceeds with month long mecca-like treks to Shopping Centers and culminates in frantic last-minute worship of the Almighty Mall of Stuff on December 24th.
And now, one can worship peacefully in the solitude of one's home with Internet Shopping and the holy sacrament of "Free Shipping" for your Stuff.
What exactly are we buying? Why are we buying it? What void are we trying to fill with stuff? I'm not a fanatic opposed to "the man". I'm just a parent concerned about teaching my children (and myself) the value of things that cannot be purchased such as kindness, love, and caring, rather than ipods, video games and cell phones. Our children learn these values by example. They value what we value. They spend their time where we spend our time. They spend their money where we spend ours.
Ask yourself. What do I value? Answer. Where do I spend my time? How do I spend my money?
Where were you this Friday? Where will you be this month? What will our children "get" this Christmas? Toys? and Games? or a better understanding of their divine worth and the joy of feeling love of their Savior and the love of their parents?
Be different. Let us give less this year so that we can give more. Let's stop feeling guilty about the stuff we did or didn't buy, did or didn't "get" and start filling our stuff-void with the love of the Savior and hence a love of each other.
A wise man once said "You will never have enough of what you don't need." Once on the stuff treadmill, there is no end, except in the getting off.
Just a thought for the season. Happy Stuffmas.
1 comment:
Well said. We have a tradition of giving a gift to Christ (some way in which we can improve over the following year) and leave the wrapped present in our living room year-round. It's a small thing, but we hope it teaches our kids whose birthday we are truly celebrating.
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