How many “favorite toys”
on Christmas morning are still in daily (or regular) use by your
children?
How many of these (new)
favorite toys are broken?
Was new debt incurred to
purchase toys, clothes, etc. for Christmas?
If so, how much debt is
paid off from overextending yourself to purchase these (new) favorite
toys?
Was additional debt
incurred (or payments put off) while paying for this past “Christmas”?
Should we get something
more significant from the Christmas Season besides debt and "new favorite
toys" that will be replaced in next years cycle of consumerism?
Our culture is quite
successful in making consumers of us. If you doubt this, then why do advertisements work? If you doubt they do, then why do companies pay
millions of dollars for seconds during the Super Bowl? I realize you may
not be as caught up in the consumerism of our culture as the next Joe/Jane...
However, the success of
our culture in making consumers of us can be seen when gifts are
given. As my beautiful wife Melissa and I were discussing recently; who has not seen a small child enamored with either the
paper or the box used to give a new gift? Who has not seen a
well meaning parent, sibling, relative, or gift-giver take away the paper or box and
basically say, “No no, here, play with this (expensive) toy I have bought for
you; isn't it great?!?!” Why do we do this? Are we not
content with letting a child find enjoyment in something that is less than our
ideal for them? Do we have to justify giving the gift?
In light of this, and in
light of how we are now half a year removed from the Christmas Season, I wonder
if God ever looks at us and basically wonders/says, "No no, quit playing with
the cheap toys of this world yearn for true treasures I have made available to
you!!!" What would the true treasures
be? Well,
an abiding and growing relationship with Him, which He so clearly showed us He
wants through the miracle of the Incarnation (the Christmas Season), is
certainly an aspect of it.
Keep in mind, some of
our brothers and sisters in Christ celebrate the “birth” of John the Baptist on
June 25th. While it may sound a bit odd, it is a great
concept. After all, the "birth" of the forerunner to the
Messiah reminds us this world is not right. This world is not
how God desires it to be. Proof of this reality is seen when we reflect on how God sent His Messiah into the world to reestablish His Kingdom...which
will culminate in God re-creating everything “new”.
Yet we need to remember,
John the Baptist himself did not fully understand Jesus (cf. Mt11:1-19).
Therefore it would behoove us to humbly admit we need to be ever growing
in our awareness of Jesus' Identity. The miracle of and the implications
of the Incarnation certainly help us. If only we could put away the
cheap toys and imitations of fulfillment this world puts forth as worth our time...
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