It’s that time of year again! Take a little trip to Polaris, Easton, or Tuttle Crossing Mall and you will see it. The economy is trying to regain some traction as shoppers ring up the sales as gifts find new homes moving from the shelves to under the tree.
It’s that time of year again! You just have to turn on the news to hear “experts” telling us the price of gas is going up because of increased travel plans. The next story will be about the droves of families heading to the airport with tickets paid for on the Visa (looking for more frequent miles) as they head to a family get together.
It’s that time of year again! Pastors, both national and in your local church, are warning you of materialism during a season that should be focused on the celebration of the new born Jesus Christ. They encourage to put the emphasis where it belongs and not get lost in the hustle and bustle going on around us.
In a time when people are overwhelmed in credit card debt, dissatisfaction, and wondering where it all went, let’s ask the question “What about the rest of the year?”
Paul instructs Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (I Timothy 6:6). This teaching is the same for us today.
Those who are Christians are called to stewardship and not consumerism. We are entrusted with gifts from God such as a spouse, children, job, home, our physical body, finances, and/or much more. It is given to us, not just for our enjoyment, but as a responsibility to nurture and grow these things in a way that brings glory to the Lord.
However, the world caters to the consumer side of the equation. We are in an environment where we never have enough and we need more. We start to believe our children are not really loved if the children next door have bigger toys than ours. There is no end to the cycle.
Consumerism is a two faced monster. One face drives us to consumer more and more resources for personal satisfaction that never comes. The other face quietly consumes us so in no time we are lost in debt, hurt, and loneliness.
So, what about you? Are you a consumer or a steward? Do you have cravings that are never satisfied or will you take stock of what you have and find contentment.
Peter encourages us in his letter this way…
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” I Peter 4: 10
Blessings!
Emerging Conservative 
I like that you point up that we should be concerned with our culture of consuming during the rest of the year.
I may have started down the road to being a victim of the whole “created needs” thing. For no reason I know of, I wanted a Kindle for Christmas. I heard once technology should solve a problem – the idea being that if it doesn’t, it isn’t necessary. I checked into the Kindle and saw it really doesn’t solve any problems for me. Except maybe being able to drag along with me on a trip all the books I could read and more. Which I don’t take that often. Trips, I mean.
And they’ve got you in a trap once you buy it, a set up that requires more money from you – you’re going to have to buy the books you want to put on it.
I don’t know, maybe those books are cheaper than buying them in hardback. So if you read a whole lot of books, it may pay for itself. All I know is I really don’t need it. I’m glad I checked into it a little more before just buying it out of hand. The guy with the most toys wins nothing in the afterlife.