By Lindsay Hamby
I have always considered myself to be not very materialistic. Perhaps I've even prided myself on my minimalism, my thriftiness, and my resourcefulness. But lately Holy Spirit has been tapping me on the inside when I find myself being discontent with the things I have and sliding down the slippery slope of "I need more."
It started when I decided to stop shopping on Sundays as an effort to better keep a Sabbath. I read a book that really made me consider that when I refuse to purchase something for a whole day out of the week, I am disrupting the current of consumerism that constantly threatens to swallow Western Christians whole.
I have to confess. For someone who is "not very materialistic," it turns out that not shopping one day a week was actually harder than I thought it would be. So often Sunday evening would roll around, and after a beautiful day of worship with Detroit Church, a nap on the couch, a warm meal with my family, I am thinking about the week ahead. There is very nearly ALWAYS the temptation to pull out my phone real quick and just order that one thing we "need". I have a little more free time on my Sabbath (as you should) and I find myself thinking about things I haven't had time to think about in the busyness of the week. I'll be sitting beside the bathtub waiting for my toddler to finish playing and start thinking, I really need to find a new pair of earrings... I still have birthday money and I've been wearing the same three pair for the last two years. But I don't want just regular old earrings, I need to find something unique, something that fits ME. Now I'm sitting in her bedroom waiting for her to fall asleep and scrolling through 764 pairs of handmade earrings on Etsy. 45 minutes later, I still haven't found the "right ones." And I've spent the last of my sacred, set apart day of rest consumed by a small $20 purchase that will eventually be completely forgotten or out of style by next summer.
OR, as is more often the case, my mental shopping list is practical. That Buy One Get One Dish Soap Sale is only 24 hours! I've got to order more while it's so much cheaper than usual. We're almost out of toothpaste, the boys soccer cleats are too tight and the baby has stains on every single one of her T-shirts.
Either way, I've still spent my sacred, holy, set-apart day reserved for refreshment in the Presence of the Almighty trifling with the demands of all the other days of the week of life in modern society. Sabbath day urges for spending are RARELY ever a real emergency. And if they actually were (...i.e. there isn't a single diaper left in the house), I know Jesus approved of pulling out sheep who had fallen into pits and there's no shame in caring for my family because the Sabbath was made for us.
A time of consecration is like a Sabbath in that it is a holy, set- apart time that's supposed to be different. There will be plenty of days in 2024 for stocking my family's cleaning closet and purging the kids drawers. There will be more than enough opportunities to use my 50% coupon at Value World and update my wardrobe. These weeks of consecration are simply not that time.
Everytime a thought flies across my head about replacing something I have with something new or something better, or simply wanting more things to make my home more functional or beautiful, it's a divine opportunity to remember what I REALLY WANT MORE OF. The eternal, life-altering Presence of King Jesus.
Isaiah 58 reminds me that the Lord is looking for a people who are willing to turn aside from seeking their own pleasure and instead take up His cause of justice in the earth. The truth is, we Americans (self included) are purchasing things EVERY SINGLE week that are made at the expense of human suffering all over the world. We live in blissful ignorance of the 40+ million slaves that are at this moment languishing under the demands of our fashion industry, our never ending need for more toys and more electronics, exotic foods and stimulants. Our dedication to convenience, self-image, comfort and success far exceeds our dedication to destroying the forces of darkness oppressing the poor and the marginalized.
One of my prayers for my own heart and for the good hearted people of Detroit Church during this time of consecration is that as we pause business as usual, we would ACTUALLY become a people who are so in love with the Liberator of mankind, and so grateful for our own freedom, that we would be willing to live radically different for the sake of another's freedom. That we wouldn't mind wearing the same three outfits over and over all year long, because we know they weren't made by the hands of starving women and children in bondage. That we would happily eat less chocolate or drink less coffee every day because perhaps fairtrade kinds are more expensive. That we would be content with less, period. That suddenly we would find we have more to give away than ever before. That we would LIVE FREE of the opinions of others, because Jesus Himself wasn't swayed by anyone's appearance.
That nothing would rule our insides or cover our outsides but the enduring love of Christ Himself.
