Tis the season to be materialistic, fa la la la la!

Tis the season to be materialistic, fa la la la la!

“Mum, for Christmas I want a really good hair dryer and some GHD’s, some CDs and some clothes.” As I listen to this, making a guesstimate at the price of each of those items, I arrive at a ball park figure of £300. As much as I love my beautiful daughter she can think again!

“What’s wrong with the hair straighteners you already have and the hairdryer come to that” I ask.

“Well when you straighten your hair with ours it only lasts a couple of hours, but when I used Chloe’s GHDs the other day it lasted all day, they are really cool!” she replied.

“Yep and really expensive” I thought to myself.

The affluence of our western culture has created an epidemic of wanting what everyone else has or what the advertisers say you ‘should’ have, in order to live a fulfilled life (and have perfectly straight hair). People crave more and more, yet don’t enjoy what they already possess.

Does “more” have the ability to make us happy as the world wants us to believe? The answer is No!. In fact, the more we have, the more we have to work to get it, therefore making less time to enjoy it in the first place. We may think that more makes life easier, but in reality it just complicates it and makes us feel dissatisfied with life.

The tenth commandment tells us not to covet; we aren’t to want what others have. Paul in his letter to the Philippians says that he has learnt to be content no matter what his circumstances were.

“Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." (Philippians 4:11 The Message)

There is nothing wrong with having things, but it is wrong to lust after them. When we feel we cannot be happy without something, we are lusting after it. We should develop a habit of asking God for what we want, and believe that He will give it to us if, and when, it is right. This simple approach to life sets us free to enjoy life.

So in this time of consumerism and financial troubles, enjoy this Christmas by making a decision to enjoy what you already have. Thank God for it and be content. Give each other the gift of your presence, rather than a present – enjoy family time together without the worry of the financial burden that it all brings.

I am just off to convince my daughter about this, please pray for me !!!!