the consumerist death trap

I almost didn’t blog this – consumerism has been on my mind lately, but I tend to be judgemental of myself when I talk about consumerism simply because I can see my own inconsistencies and my own struggles/temptations with the very thing I’m criticizing.

Now please don’t think I’m a communist or anything….because I’m not. Perhaps I should hash out what my take on consumerism is……..and what it isn’t.

Consumerism is NOT the purchasing/selling/trading of goods and services. That is business….a necessary part of society. Whether it’s money for services, or trading one thing for another, it keeps society running because no one is fully self contained/sufficient. I have no problem with keeping society going.

What I have a problem with is EXCESSIVELY SPENDING lavish amounts of money for things we really don’t need. And I admit, I own things I don’t particurally need….and I have spent money on those things. It’s hard not to be caught up!

Even the best, most conciencious person has fallen prey to this pervasive culture….so in a sense, we’re all consumerists.

Consumerism is this generation’s God….this generation’s focus. Everything in our lives is filtered through it’s lens. Even our relationships aren’t immune. Even they can fall victim to our consumerist culture.

So if the focus is on consumerism == on WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME == then it’s obviously not on God…..and that’s idolatry. So what do we do? We have to shift the focus. We have to not focus on getting something, but on being stewards of the lives, relationships and responsibilities we’ve been given. We have to shift the way we understand our responsibilities to be good stewards….to realize that there is a larger world beyond ourselves and our immediate surroundings, and realize that we are, in fact, a TINY part of LIFE as a whole. We have to become authentic in the way we interact with people, stop playing the whole ladder climbing game.

We need to realize that we can’t take anything with us….so it’s pointless for us to amass more and more “stuff”. Our plumb line should be “do I need this?” rather than “Can I afford this”. We also need to remember that people and relationships are NOT disposable. Too many times we go into a friendship or romantic relationship wanting to get something out of it……scripture tells us to humbly submit to one another in love……and that is directly contrary to consumerisim.

In a culture of affluence and excess, we have become a society that consmerizes our faith. People “shop around” for a church that suits them…….well guess what…..it may be called a church “service”….but it doesn’t mean that it’s our one stop religion shop. We have to stop choosing what churches and programmes that we are involved in based on what we want or what we’re comfortable with. We have to look again at our NEEDS…..what church is going to be doctrinely sound? What church can we give ourselves in service to? We need to let spiritual discernment, not consumer culture, be our guide.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this…….God isn't Wal-mart. Our live are not commodities. We can’t try to “market” our churches. We can’t bargin shop for a faith that suits us. We can’t be the consumer—we don’t have that right. The reality is that we are the ones who need to be consumed……filled, overtaken, used up….by the holy spirit.