“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
—Matthew 6:25 (NIV)
Let’s call it what it is—truly sad…
It’s sad when grown men and women aggressively pursue discounted material goods at the expense of others. I’m already hearing of fights locally at retail stores. These fights have been in recent years reserved for the day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday. In fact, stores have opened even earlier so shoppers can salivate even more about getting that discount while knocking over their fellow man in the process.
Sure retail stores want the draw of customers to boost their sales and the economy, but do they want the hassle of dealing with the crazed frenzy over goods? Extra security has been added at some stores.
For this reason, I avoid shopping on Black Friday like I do as if a major ice storm blew through—don’t shop unless it’s necessary. And that’s sad when some shoppers keep away out of disgust at the behavior of others.
Every year, the American public hears of the madness, and in an extreme case, a trampling death. A DEATH we’re talking about here! When did we as a nation become so obsessed about having material items?
It is not about the love of money or the love of things, which moth and dust corrupt—Matthew 6:19. “…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”—Matthew 6:21.
These are the words of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The same Jesus whose birthday we celebrate this time of year. We’ve taken our eyes off of THE GREATEST GIFT—JESUS CHRIST. Where are our hearts?
We need to return to our first love, who is Jesus.
Can we get back to our spiritual roots and in this season, be thankful for what is truly important? It’s about focusing on the love of God and His desire to come as a Savior to bring mankind back in fellowship with Him. It’s also about people.
What do you treasure? Let’s hope not the acquiring of more goods that will only temporarily satisfy; not bringing lasting contentment from within.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” –Matthew 6:33
Felicia Benamon is a conservative columnist who writes from a political perspective, but occasionally deviates to write about other concerns facing her country. She comes from a military background and is currently a freelance reporter residing in Tennessee.
