If you’re like the majority of people on this Black Friday (aka the day after Thanksgiving considered the best time to get a discounted price on items from footwear to furniture), you’ll either be hitting the stores or surfing the web for something you “need.”
And while there’s nothing wrong with looking for the best deal on necessities and essentials, after all we are called to be good stewards of our money, shopping for many has become an obsession as detailed in an article titled "Black Friday: How a Post-Thanksgiving Sale Became a National Obsession" published earlier this year. In the write-up, the author detailed the history of Black Friday and what it has become:
When Macy’s launched its first holiday parade in 1924 — then called the Christmas Parade, and three years later dubbed the Thanksgiving Day Parade — it wasn’t just pageantry. It was a signal flare for the retail world, capped by Santa Claus waving in the official countdown to Christmas.
“The Thanksgiving Day parade was one of the first experiential marketing moments,” says Barbara Kahn, professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “It didn’t say ‘go shop now,’ but it absolutely started the holiday period.”
Three decades later, Black Friday sparked our nation’s collective obsession with holiday deal-hunting. According to History.com, the term was first used in this context in the 1950s in Philadelphia, where it was coined by police to describe the gridlocked streets and unruly crowds that flooded the city the day after Thanksgiving. Marketers later used accounting terminology to flip the narrative, rebranding Black Friday as the day businesses went from “in the red” to “in the black.”
By the 1980s, that clever spin had stuck: Retailers embraced it, the media amplified it, and shopping became cemented as a post-feast tradition. Lining up and chasing a deal became a quintessential part of the holiday experience.
And while, a good majority of people now opt for online shopping rather than visiting the stores and the malls, one thing hasn’t changed… a great majority of the world is still obsessed with acquiring things.
But this is the deal with chasing after an abundance of “things,” specifically the “things” of this world, they will never be enough. They will exhaust themselves trying to acquire more and more but it will be in vain. You see, the person who seeks comfort and contentment in the “things” of this world will never have enough things because apart from Jesus Christ, there is no true contentment.
This was something the apostle Paul had 'learned' that led him to say, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Unfortunately, many people take Philippians 4:13 out of context and use it to reinforce a “triumphalist” (think about completing a marathon after just a few training runs) or “super-Christian” mentality, instead of seeing that the strength of Jesus in Paul’s life was evident in his ability to be content in all his circumstances, not in the ability to always change or overcome them.
You see, contentment is an inward spiritual state of peaceful happiness that isn't dependent on circumstances (with having a little or a lot), but is instead rooted in trusting God's sovereignty and goodness. It involves a deep-seated satisfaction with what God provides, a cheerful submission to His will, and a joyful acceptance of one's lot in life, recognizing that God is sufficient and that our greatest treasure is found in Him, not in worldly possessions.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
As you can imagine, being content with what God provides is not always an easy thing. Especially with the advent of social media which constantly reinforces the idea that we “need” this to be happy or that to fit in. That’s the very reason Paul relied on Jesus for the strength to resist the temptation to pursue the things of this world and to be satisfied with what God provided instead, knowing it would always be enough to meet his needs and not his greeds. This dependence on God was a constant reminder that Paul could do nothing apart from Him, and that the more he relied on the Lord, the more fruit he would show. Being content in Christ kept Paul humble and so was a win for him and it’s a win for us as well.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
“for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand.” Psalm 50:10
So, knowing that the total dependence that leads to godly contentment must be learned, pray for the Lord to show you how to abide in Him my friend. But don’t be surprised when those lessons come in the form of trials and testing as they are oftentimes the best teachers. Keep the joy in all situations and trust that the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills can and will provide for every one of your needs and, in doing so, will draw you closer to Him.
Heavenly Father, thank You for promising to provide for all of our needs. Help us to understand that your resources are as limitless as your love for us. Teach us to abide in You God that we might learn to be content in You by drawing on the strength of Jesus. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
No comments:
Post a Comment