Black Friday Shopping

I find Black Friday. . . interesting.

We have a “day of thankfulness,” a day to be grateful and remember all our blessings and praise God and spend time with family/friends and be happy/content.

Then immediately after–or even during!–that day, people are getting up ridiculously early, waiting outside stores in the cold or wind or rain or snow or more-than-one-of-the-previous, trampling and fighting each other, going “moreMoReMORE!”

Black Friday:
Because only in America, people trample others for sales
exactly one day after being thankful for what we already have.

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I understand there are good deals. I understand you could save quite a bit of money.

But – but is that what matters? Is that what people should focus on? Are we that desperate to get something for cheap(er)? Do we need and are going to use everything that we buy or are we buying it simply because it’s on sale? Should we act like toddlers fighting over a toy–or even worse?

I’m not going to say Black Friday is evil (unlike Halloween). I’m not going to say that you should absolutely not ever participate and that you should avoid all stores because we don’t want anybody even thinking you’re participating, now do we. I’m not going to say that I’ll never go Black Friday shopping. (<-It’s pretty unlikely, but, ya know, disclaimer. I did sort of go once, but it was very chill, later in the day, I didn’t buy anything, blah, blah, blah. Anyways. . .)

I am going to say that I encourage you to examine yourself. What is your attitude, motive? Are you going because everybody is, because you can save money, or because you get a thrill? Are you competitive, hoping to get to some good stuff before anyone else does? Would you fight someone to get what you want?

“Of course not! I’m a Christian!”

That brings up more questions. Should a Christian focus on getting things–especially after thanking God for what they already have? What kind of testimony are you giving being in the mad dash of people desperate for deals?

Would you be willing to pay a little more? … Our quest for more and more of everything is affecting real lives. … Our cheap stuff comes with a price tag: heartache and suffering. Jesus wants to challenge our attitudes and behaviors toward things, because they affect our attitudes and behaviors toward people.

Matthew Kelly, “Jesus on Lifestyle,” Rediscover Jesus

This wasn’t talking about Black Friday, but it came to my mind. Our attitudes and behaviors toward things affect our attitudes and behaviors toward people.

If we’re focused on the thing, we won’t focus on the person. If all we care about is the thing, we won’t care about the person. If we want the thing, we won’t let the other person have the thing. We won’t take the time to notice, to love, to reach out, to help, to treat them like a human being made in the image of God with an eternal soul.

And things won’t satisfy us–not completely, not genuinely, not permanently.

And there’s more to life than here on earth.

And we can’t take this material stuff with us.

Something to think about, especially if you’re waiting in line. 🙃