Christmas day is over for another year.Gifts have been given & food-a-plenty has been eaten.
DVDs, Cd's, toys, game systems along with games, clothes, books & an unending list of other things have arrived in most of our houses.
We now have alot of stuff to help satisfy us as we live in this world.
The only problem is that they fail to do this, as we just continue to want more stuff.
No film completely satisfies our desire for the silver screen, becoming the only film we ever watch because it so fills us each time. No, a week from now another film will be released & we'll want...
Or what about the games for our game systems? Do the games we received take the prime place of 'this is the only game I'll ever need or have we already looked at upcoming releases? In the gaming arena we will continue to want...
Clothes wear out, or just go out of fashion; toys break or get neglected for newer ones & the turkey, though delicious will not be sustaining us one month from now, as our bodies need daily intakes of food. And through all we continue to want...
All this is to say that I think consumerism has consumed us, as we search for satisfaction in broken & faulty cisterns instead of the true & everlasting source of pleasure forever more; Jesus.
I am thankful for all the presents I received, infact I love them (thank you to all who gave me gifts), I don't want you thinking I'm ungrateful. Rather I simply present honesty to the table as I say that we as humans can never find full satisfaction & pleasure in stuff, but only in Christ. The gifts of Christmas do bring delight, but only Christ can offer everlasting joy.
One last illustration
I had to nip into Lisburn on Boxing day to get some tablets from a chemist & though the town (sorry city) wasn't busy by any means, there were shoppers with bags packed full darting from shop to shop seeking more satisfaction, entertainment or delights on the very day of the year which you'd think we'd be 'full up' as we digest all the great presents we've received.
New Year Sales have begun and we feel that we must get there as fast as we can, lest we miss out on some bargain that will bring us great delight...if even for only a short while.
Seeking Jesus vs Seeking Shopping
I know I wish that I was as diligent & passionate about seeking Christ, as much as we tend to seek satisfaction in shopping. To have my desires for Him drive me to get up early & seek hard after Him, as some shoppers are known for being at the door in the early hours of the morning just to make sure they don't miss out.
So consumerism if anything can serve to show us what true devotion looks like, and cause us to ask if we are as devoted to the God who we say that we love...
