NEEDS NOT GREEDS
This is for me. I shop bargains – so I will purchase something wonderful because I can get it for less than I perceive the market value. It – the item – is not on my shopping list and I have not seen it before. Seeing it made me want it. Then the lowered value empowered my greed to acquire this thing I do not need. It is greed. Greed is also called an intense and selfish desire for something like wealth, power, or even food. Do I need it? No. Do I want it? Yes. I even excuse my excesses because I sew and can make my clothes. I reference them as works of art. If you have seen my collection you can guess I might be insecure if my presentation means that much to me. For shame. I’ve never smoked or done drugs so I feel less guilty. Someday I might wish I had some savings in the bank instead of in my closet. Where your treasure is – there is your heart also. The scripture about how beautifully God clothes the flowers of the field that are here today and gone tomorrow always gets me. So why do we prefer to think our greed is harmless? I had a friend who also was a shopaholic and took a year off from purchasing clothing items. Her husband agreed. It was many things for her. On January 1st of the next year she binged like crazy! She missed it that much but kept the promise to herself. For me – shopping relieves stress. I get a rush. Not a drug but out of hand if you don’t go affordable places. This is how I try to justify. I once purchased a hat for my daughter at Nordstroms. I have looked there since but prefer Nordstroms Rack. I even visited a place near Phoenix called the Last Chance. It is the end of the road for all things Nordstrom. So if this were not a compulsion, and I was being reasonable, I might admit that if no one else wanted an item – maybe I shouldn’t either? Instead of the absence of shopping an opposite is to examine what we need. The short list is to breathe and eat and drink. Then we need fellowship – God and our people. Then the check-out person at the store wants us to bring money to the table before we walk off with our needs. Money is just a consequence of our monetary system and no harm there. I don’t barter my potato for your tomato. It is always about my heart and your heart. What is best for others – not just me. With excess I can share and I try that often. But then there I am in a store and I leave with something. Is this one of the things where Paul says he does the thing he doesn’t want to do and skips the things that are better? The Bible says a lot but we can summarize that Jesus is the Christ, there were many witnesses to His resurrection, and the messianic prophecies are fulfilled in Christ. But let’s do work on the greed thing.
