Reality of Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and spent some quality time with loved ones. I certainly enjoyed being with my family and friends and dinner was so delicious. My mom's green bean casserole was incredible and I always look forward to getting to stuff my face with it. We all know what comes right after Thanksgiving: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I never really understood it. Don't get me wrong: I love a good deal and being thrifty. However, I don't love seeing people fight one another all for a toaster at Walmart or any other store for that matter. Is it really necessary to trample people or yank items out of their hands, pull hair, etc. 

Here's my real concern with Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

Thanksgiving is all about reflecting on what we are grateful for and thinking about the many blessings around us. Black Friday and Cyber Monday ultimately ruin the spirit of gratitude because it is all about buying needless items just to show off our wealth and status. Nobody really needs every item in every store, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday force us to be unhappy with our lives because we need more stuff. Commercials on TV show us what our lives could look like if we all rushed into the stores to grab whatever fits into our cars and houses, but the only thing that can make us truly happy is taking time to think about what we already have and to give credit to the One who makes it all possible: God. 

God does not withhold anything we need to survive. He graciously gives us everything plus more. He is generous and good. There is nothing any one of s has done to deserve his kindness, but God still pours out amazing things on us. When we buy into the lies that Black Friday and Cyber Monday tell us, we ultimately tell God that he is not good enough for us. Our hearts become more in love with shallow and material things rather than having minds and hearts focused on God's kingdom and mission. Can we actually say we love God and want to help other people when we're completely obsessed with the best deals and shopping until we can no longer fit everything into our mansions? God calls us choose him each day not just on Thanksgiving. I know it is not easy. I mess this up too. I  can say I want to serve Jesus, but then I turn around to serve my own wants and desires. I am flawed and selfish but I am doing my best to keep Christ's mission first and foremost.

God loves us too much to let us love earthly possessions. It's all just stuff. The only thing that can fill us with true joy and peace is God's infinite love and goodness. He knows we are easily tempted and can mess up. He loves regardless and just wants to be close to us. The problem with earthly possessions is that is causes us to become distracted and we can easily forget the reason why we have so many nice things in the first place. I think it's so cool that God loves us too much to let us drift away from his heart. His love never gives up on us. How amazing is that!

Here are some pieces of scripture to reflect on during this season:

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." -Matthew 6:24

"The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the LORD will prosper." -Proverbs 28:25

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" -Hebrews 13:5

Peace and Joy,

Chloe 

Generosity And The Benefit Of The Doubt

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I can't believe the holidays are just around the corner and it's definitely an exciting time. Currently my family is getting ready by planning out well-loved recipes, decorating, and savoring the joy that accompanies holiday festivities.

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is seeing many people cheerfully give the excess resources. Many individuals choose to donate money to their favorite charities, people are invited into each other's homes, and gather around a table to laugh and share a delicious meal together.

However, there is also a flip side to such joyful generosity. There are some people who would rather choose to be skeptical and stingy with their extra blessings. I've heard it time and time again, "But how do I know this organization is really using the money to help others?" "Why should i donate when I need more money to buy more toys and gifts for myself?" "If I give money to that homeless person, of course they're using it for drugs and alcohol." "How can I be positive this is legitimate?"

I get it. I feel like at some point in our lives we have been scammed or tricked. There are stories of fraudulent organizations that literally rob well-meaning folks into funding a cause that doesn't exist and ends up in rich people's wallets instead of those that actually need it. And God wants us to be wise and use discernment with what he has entrusted to us. He calls us to be good stewards of our resources and use common sense. However, that should not interfere with our desire and ability to care for others. God also calls us to live by faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about things we do not see." This means that when we chose to give our time and money to those around us, we will not be able to see how those things will be utilized. We just have to trust that God will bless our gifts and deliver hope to a world that desperately needs it. More often than not, we have to give others the benefit of the doubt. Be careful of who or what you label as a scam or liar. Sometimes the real scammers and liars are ourselves because we say we are Christians and want to serve others like Jesus did on earth, but turn around only to hoard things for ourselves.

We can all give something. Maybe we don't need that $5 coffee and can donate that money to a worth cause. Maybe we can listen to someone else talk about their day/week/year instead of insisting of always speaking up. Maybe we can be a compassionate and calming presence to a person who feels forgotten and alone. This holiday season, (and quite frankly every day of our lives) let's all try to love other people a little bit deeper and a little bit bigger. Let's offer whatever we have to give. Let's all be Christ's hands and feet to a hurting and broken world. Let's show skeptics what true faith and service looks like.

We tend to make an idol out of clarity and certainty. We love facts and guarantees. It makes us feel secure. Yet as believers, we are called to live lives of deep faith in Christ and his mission. Jesus constantly invites us to walk out on the water and into his arms of love, but oftentimes we refuse to leave the boat. Jesus knows we can be easily frightened and intimidated but he promises us that we are not alone. He will help us trust God more. He will help us commit to loving more people than before. He will help us seek first God's vision of building his Kingdom. God knows our every weakness and out of his love for us, he gives us strength and courage when we feel scared.

Loving others begins with asking God for his help and guidance. I cannot truly love other people if i don't first approach God's throne of grace and mercy each day. I desperately want to be a person who gives others the benefit of the doubt even when it seems too difficult, but I cannot do that without God's help. He enables me to love people around even when I feel like it's too tough. When we ask God for his guidance and support to seek first his kingdom, God sends an army of angels to help us. Sometimes the armies consist of other people who are also seeking to serve God and sometimes the army is made up of awesome organizations and charities that give us fresh ways to give with sincere and joyful hearts. The bottom line is that God is always more than ready to help us when it comes to building his kingdom.

Have an amazing holiday season. I pray God strengthens our hearts and minds to be fixed solely on him and his will. May we learn to think less about ourselves and more about how to be bearers of true faith and hope to a world that needs Jesus.

Peace, Joy, and Blessings,

Chloe

Attitude of Gratitude

Happy November! I pray this new month finds you doing well and you are all enjoying crisp Fall weather. I love November. I love seeing the gorgeous colors on leaves as they fall, and get excited about preparing yummy food and goodies for people to enjoy, and I love taking time to think about everything I am thankful for.

I find that true gratitude is one of the best ways to find joy and peace. It brings us closer to God, because we recognize that without God, nothing would be possible. For me, I wouldn't have a supportive, fun-loving, and compassionate family and friends if it weren't for Jesus. I have a nice home, food to eat, clothes to wear, and opportunities to enjoy and relax because God has been faithful to me. I really don't deserve any of it but God is the type of God the the loves surprising his children with blessings.

It's easy to think about the things that could be better in our lives. We would all like more money, better houses and cars, better grades at school, and bigger promotions at work. We want wars to end, poverty to be eradicated, and we want everyone to get along and find peace. If you're like me, you may not love chilly weather. I don't particularly enjoy bundling up and wearing lots of layers. I have found myself complaining or whining about how cold I feel and wish it was just  tad bit warmer. But when I do that, I forget about how God has provided me with adequate clothing and my house has heat and I'm much better off than I think. My complaining and ungratefulness hurts God's heart because in a way I am telling him "But you're still not good enough for me. I still need more."Ungratefulness is Satan's favorite way to distract us from worshipping God with cheerful and sincere hearts. God will never hold out on us. He knows exactly what we need and he will oftentimes blessings us with more.

Even when it's hard, I'd like to challenge all of us (especially myself) to take lots of time to reflect on how much God has given us. How has God surprised us with unexpected gifts? What are we going to thank God for today? Maybe we will find ourselves filled with more peace and joy. Maybe we will be more ready to bless others with our extra resources who are less fortunate. Maybe we will all be worshipping our Savior with pure and happy hearts instead of ones with envy and jealousy.

Here are some scripture to read and think about as we enter a season of joyous thanksgiving and peace.

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." -Psalm 100: 4-5

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4: 19

"Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being confident with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you.'" -Hebrews 13: 5

I hope this week is a great start to your attitude of gratitude and joy. God is always gracious and faithful. If he has taken great care of us so far, then how will he not continue to shower us with abundant blessings?

-Chloe