When I was interning and living in Atlanta this past summer, I went to Peachtree Presbyterian Church. I also signed up for their daily email devotional, and I still get it even though I'm now back in Alabama. Mark Crumpler, the pastor who writes the devotional, has a really great way of explaining the devotional while not condemning or judging the reader.
Anyway, I was scrolling through Tuesday's devotional on my phone and it really stuck with me. The topic of the devo was consumption of worldly goods and how that affects our "social space" and self worth.
This is something I struggle with almost daily. As a member of the fashion industry, I'm expected to know the latest trends and wear them and always be at the forefront of what's "in" and what's "out". I'm expected to embrace new trends and through that, show others what's fashionable. In order to do this, I feel pressured into continuously buying clothing and accessories or browsing through catalogs and websites 24/7 in order to stay in the know. And to be completely honest, I derive a good bit of my happiness through shopping and buying new things, whether it's clothing, something for my apartment or just stuff.
However, that's not how Jesus called us to live our lives. Earthly possessions can burn, break, or be stolen. They're fleeting and only around for a small portion of our lives. Jesus, and our relationship with him, is eternal. To quote Mark: "We were made to know who we are in relation to our creator. Our "social space" is defined by one key relationship: our relationship with Jesus Christ. That relationship defines all others. It tells us why we're here and what we were put here to do. Those things can never be given to us by something we purchase. They come by grace from one who loves us."
Wow. I definitely needed to read those words and the accompanying Scripture (Luke 12). So much of my energy is focused on acquiring things when it needs to be focused on my relationship with Jesus and the Lord. I'm going to challenge myself to not purchase anything that's not a necessity for a month (hopefully longer).
I have a closet full of clothes, a pantry and fridge full of food, and a cabinet full of beauty products yet I always want more, more, more. In the end, these things don't matter. My relationship with Christ does.
**I can't find the link on the PPC website to sign up for the email devotional...if you're interested, email me and I can forward you the most recent one and you can sign up that way**
This is sooo true. I love clothes, style, and shopping and I went to a preppy college which compounded these interests. It is so tempting to find my identity in these things instead of Him, it just feels safer and easier and more instantaneously satisfying. I love your idea of fasting from new purchases. Thanks for being so open with this!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you appreciated it! I figured that I'm definitely not the only person who struggles with this, so why not share. I have an update coming up later this week, so please check back!
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