Not Letting a False god Consume Us.
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. ”
Retaining our individuality and integrity is difficult in our society. We are constantly bombarded with social media, advertisers, and corporations trying to tell us how we should dress, act, and believe. There is a point where we feel our only value is in being a consumer. But, is being a consumer consuming our souls?
Consumerism is just as damaging an addiction like alcoholism. Like imbibing alcohol in moderation, it does not need to have detrimental effects. Drink too much, too often, and the addiction takes over one's life and damages the body, mind, and soul. In our society, we all are consumers. In moderation, it does not have to be too detrimental. Focusing too much on consuming will warp one's mind and soul. Over-consuming leads to the bondage of debt. Primary focus on what we consume will also lead to warped ethics and moral lifestyle that will lead us to despair.
Like drugs and alcohol, over-consumerism takes control of our lives. We begin making our decisions, great and small, based on how we can consume more. Our value is determined by the car we drive, the size of the home where we reside, the trips we take, and the clothes we wear. Other values like faith in God and caring for others diminish under the demands of the consumer monster's never-ending hunger. There is not enough time and money to feed the consumer monster and issues of faith and justice. Consumerism is a jealous god.
Today, reflect on what you need to consume to survive and make you happy. Then, prayerfully ponder what you might give up to make room for more critical values in your life. The less consumed, the more we have available for spiritual endeavors like Church support and caring for those with less than ourselves. At the end of our lives, we will not remember the number of sweaters we've owned over our lifetime, but we will recall the giving we've offered in God's name to God's Church and service to God's children.
