Bling!!

I must confess…I LOVE BLING!!! Jewelry, bags, shoes, makeup…you name it, I’m drawn to it. These last few days of going through airports, I am like a moth to the duty free stores. Everything is so shiny and pretty. I don’t need anything, but I want it! It would make me so happy to buy something shiny!

It occurred to me that we often want what we can’t have. The world is full of bling. The stores need to convince us that we need it, otherwise they can’t make money. It’s a vicious cycle. I see people constantly buying new things. Closets are bursting with clothes that still have tags on them. We want to feel bright and pretty. We get envious of those that have things we can’t afford. We are like lemmings running toward the edge of a cliff, having no idea what lies ahead. Buying and coveting…

This morning, once again, I was enticed into the duty free store. I wanted to touch things, feel the textures, smell the scents in the air. For some reason I got bored really fast. Nothing seemed quite so interesting anymore. Has the fact that I have been removed from it, changed my eyes and attitude? I don’t know. Living in Tanzania has so many blessings, but material goods are in short supply. Maybe the biggest influence is that I am not surrounded with the advertisements telling me what I want.

I hope that I learn to differentiate between wants and needs. What is that I want? A better walk with Jesus. A healthy family. A fantastic marriage. Food and shelter. Good friends. That’s it. Of course a new leather bag will always entice me, but I don’t need it. Not if it causes strife and debt and dissatisfaction.

Don’t get me wrong. I will always love bling. It’s what I do for part of my livelihood. I can’t see that ending, unless God has a different plan. Perusing duty free shops will still be fun. Just the attitude of the heart is changed. I don’t need what is being sold anymore. What I want is that peace knowing that I have enough….

One thought on “Bling!!”

  1. That last line was so true, having peace with what I have! I had such small suitcases on our last trip and was not able to shop very much. When I came home all my stuff seemed new again!! Ha ha, but I still want Marimekko stuff!!

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