Day 8 - The Giant Shopping Addiction

Day 8 A Giant of a Sale

Scripture Reading: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Can you pass up a bargain? It’s difficult, isn’t it? January and June are the months when my favorite store, Bath and Body Works, has a huge sale on nearly their entire inventory. That’s when I have a hard time staying away from the mall. “White sales” (huge markdowns on bedding, sheets, etc.) can be found in January as well. Whenever we hear “75 percent off”, our ears perk up, don’t they? And the curiously termed “white elephant” sales are popular in the spring and summer. We’ll explore that phrase briefly in a moment.

Now, bargains aren’t always what they are cracked up to be. We can end up with a houseful of stuff we didn't need, that we bought just because it was on sale or because someone else has one and we thus think we need one too. Regret is always a potential side effect of a shopping frenzy.

So here’s what I found to be the origin of the phrase “white elephant”:

White (albino) elephants were regarded as holy in ancient times in Thailand and other Asian countries. To keep a white elephant was a very expensive task, since you had to provide the elephant with special food, and provide access for people who wanted to come and worship it. If a Thai King became, for some reason, dissatisfied with a sub-king, he would give him a white elephant. The gift would, in most cases, ruin the recipient. (internet def'n)

I laughed when I read this but it was a painful laugh, for several reasons. One, it says that the gift would usually “ruin the recipient” – and don’t we find that when we go crazy at a sale, it ruins our budget? We say to ourselves when the credit card bills comes, “why did I buy this?” Second, bargains still come with a price. We have more work to do: we now have to justify the purchase to our spouse or to ourselves if we’re trying to stay within a monthly budget. Third, it says that a white elephant was very expensive to maintain, and then the owner had to accommodate visitors who wanted to “worship it”. Isn’t this so true? Don’t we end up worshipping some of our purchases, in the way we show it to others – “look what I got – for 75 percent off!” – and in our pride in ourselves for having located such a great deal? Our focus gets off of the things that matter, and on to something that can't possibly help our souls.

Well, for those of us who can't pass up a giant of a sale, let us remind ourselves of the best bargain the world has ever encountered. It is found in John 3:16. “For God SO LOVED the world that He gave His one and only son – so that WHOEVER believes in Him would not perish – but have ETERNAL life.” Don’t miss this – the price of eternal life for man is one word: belief. Belief in the Savior. God paid the ultimate price – He sacrificed His only Son – for all of humanity. We simply have to place our trust in Him. Salvation is a free gift. It is a gift that lasts for eternity. God is our loving Redeemer who takes our confession of sin and our need for a Savior, and He redeems our broken lives with the gift of eternal life in heaven with Him. Do you know what “redeem” means? I Google’d the word and came up with some fascinating definitions. Read these and consider what our Heavenly Father did for us!!!

To purchase back; to regain possession of by payment of a stipulated price; to repurchase.

To regain by performing the obligation or condition stated; to discharge the obligation mentioned in, as a promissory note, bond, or other evidence of debt; as, to redeem bank notes with coin.

To ransom, liberate, or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying a price or ransom; to ransom; to rescue; to recover; as, to redeem a captive, a pledge, and the like.

To pay the penalty of; to make amends for; to serve as an equivalent or offset for; to atone for; to compensate; as, to redeem an error.

These definitions just pierce my soul when I consider what God did for me. He paid the ultimate price for my sins! He ransomed me! He bought my pardon! He rescued and delivered me! He fulfilled His promise! A giant of a sale will pierce our wallets – and leave us with possessions that will tarnish and get old – but the gift of eternal life is absolutely priceless. What sacrifice! He gave the life of His Only Son – for us! What love! We owe Him our souls for what He did for us! Eternal life with Him – that is the best bargain of all.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we praise You for giving us the chance to have everlasting life with You! Thank you for sacrificing Your Son so that we might have life in You. Lord, we can never repay You for what You have done. Help us to somehow honor you with our lives in thanks for this unspeakable gift. Help us to be enthusiastic about telling others about this incredible, heavenly bargain!

Slay that Giant: For the next week, try to resist any temptation you might have to buy something just because it is on sale. For those on a strict weekly budget, please realize that we are not suggesting that you bypass “milk on sale for $2.29” at the grocery store! Instead, consider nonperishable items, and things that we don’t truly need.