Shopping for Contentment

Impulse buying — have you noticed how stores encourage this behavior? Who doesn’t enjoy trying a food or drink sample, handed out with a convenient coupon? Checkout line areas are known for their magazines with attention-grabbing headlines (“Lose 100 lbs with NO Effort”) and pictures of photo-shopped models. Have you also noticed how often gum, sweets, or small necessities are within an arm’s reach of the cash register? Who can pass up another LED flashlight? The brightly lit placement of candy bars may be an intentional instigator of toddler tantrums, and adult impulse buying.  

From childhood days of receiving cash for lost teeth, preadolescent payments for household chores, through becoming wage-earners, people enjoy buying stuff.  Choosing items to add to our lives gives us a sense of power. Society (and the ads) tells us the ownership of big ticket items indicates status. Have you felt an adrenalin boost when taking advantage of door-busting deal prices? I need to confess the times prices were so low, “I just couldn’t pass it up!” Never mind if the item was needed. 

Do personal shopping habits have anything to do with pursuing a faith-directed life?

Here are ways to investigate and personalize that question:

Do we give enough pre-thought when choosing which bargains are brought in to our homes?

When are our shopping therapy excursions motivated by discontent?

Are the time and money costs of upkeep for items included in purchasing decisions?

Will owning more stuff add stress, mess, and less time (or space) for higher priority needs?

“Money is the root of all evil”, is not in the Bible.  Neither does it say having an abundance of possessions is evil. But the Creator who understands our needs, inspired Paul to write, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (I Timothy 6:6-8)

Having the means to purchase needed items for ourselves and our household is a blessing. Christians can be wise stewards by relying on Holy Spirit power instead of marketing influences.

Are there ways you can remind yourself to pursue contentment while shopping? Share them in the comments below!