Welcome to shopping season! I have never met a hunter during hunting season, or a football fan during football season, who could match the zeal of serious shoppers during shopping season. You can actually get run over by a shopping cart if you are not moving fast enough.
Some people loath to shop, some like to shop, some love to shop, and some just live to shop. Believe it or not, Jesus made a statement which can even help during the peak shopping season. In Matthew 10:16 He said…
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Granted, He was not addressing a group of Christmas shoppers at the time, but some principles still apply. Remember that all those nice places sending super sale ads to your home are not doing so in order to help you balance your budget. My grandmother used to say; “It’s not a bargain if you don’t need it”. “Be wise as serpents” as you shop is the first piece of advice we can draw from this verse.
The second piece of advice is equally obvious. Watch your own attitude, or be “harmless as doves”. Those of us who loath shopping, even when it is not “the season”, really have to watch our attitude during December. The wearier we get, the more tempting it is to play like we did not know that other person was in line first, and the louder we can get when “discussing” with the checker which item was the advertized special.
It is a paradox that the demands and expectations brought on by the seasonal activities can cause us to give our poorest testimony as followers of the Christ child. This is especially true if we forget to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves”.
Bro. Dennis