Isn’t it funny how good things can sometimes inflame something bad in us, if we’re not careful?
As I was making and receiving gifts from our wedding and baby registries, I remember identifying this interior movement of excitement at the gifts that was often twisted to a material greed. This sensation reminds me of the description of Eve in the Garden of Eden: The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom (Genesis 3:6). Yikes.
Certainly, there was a need for a registry in both instances, and the gifts themselves were also often needs. But I found myself, instead of reacting with gratitude to these gifts, reacting with greed, both to the shopping aspect of building a registry, as well as to the receiving portion.
This summer, I began praying about the greed that had taken root in my heart. I prayed with Luke 12:13-34, but specifically verses 15 and 33-34:
15: Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.
33-34: Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
One day, as I prayed about how to combat this greed, I heard: No more window shopping. I had no issue interpreting what this meant. Perhaps you’ve heard this said: Dating with no intention to marry is like going to the store without the intention of buying anything. You either leave disappointed or with something that’s not yours.
In a similar way, I was wandering through stores and scrolling through online stores to discover what I “needed,” rather than visiting the stores and sites when I actually needed something. Instead of feeling fulfilled when I would exit the store or close out of the tab on my browser, I would feel empty. Not only was I disappointed that I shouldn’t/couldn’t purchase the items I looked at, but I wouldn’t have known those items were for sale if I had not unnecessarily visited the shop in the first place.
My favorite place to do this is Hobby Lobby. I meander through the aisles, my eyes taking in all of the beautiful home decor and crafts, stirring within me a covetous desire—a hunger for the material goods before me. No, I did not need more home decor, yet there I was perusing. Then I would leave the store mourning the items I did not purchase.
The command I heard in prayer, No more window shopping, was a simple, straightforward solution to my problem. I would only shop when I needed something, and only shop for that thing. I unfollowed accounts on Instagram that I only followed for the sake of shopping. I resolved to only search for items on my list when entering a store to shop. Have I stuck to this 100%? No. The other day I got lost in the apparel section of Ed Sheeran’s website, and the next day got trapped in Hobby Lobby’s alluring aisles with my mom. However, when I have stuck to this resolve of rejecting the temptation to “window shop,” I’ve witnessed the grip of greed on my mind and heart loosen. I’ve found a deeper appreciation for the things I already possess. And I’ve found the desire to rid my space of unnecessary things.
What is pleasing to your eyes and desirable, that won’t ultimately fulfill you? How are you being called to seek the pruning or purification of it in your life?