Stereotypes exist because there’s a sliver of truth to them. For instance, women are stereotyped as notorious shopaholics. Many of the women that I know fall into this category. They love to shop, and it doesn’t matter if they’re at a consignment shop or Barneys New York — they will spend hours canvassing every floor, every department, and every rack in those stores. I can’t go shopping with my friends because I just don’t have the stamina. Seriously, I would need frequent rest breaks, snack breaks, and possibly a nap to keep up with them. Besides, I only shop twice a year — right before the start of the school year and again before winter. I’ll pick up a few essentials throughout the year, but the average amount of time I spend in any given store is 20 minutes.
Part of my aversion to shopping stems from the habits of others — my mother in particular. She always shopped for me. As her only child, I think she just liked dressing up her little girl. Looking at old pictures of my mom and her sisters illustrates how fancy they were. They liked dressing up, and they looked good doing it. I don’t believe they were obsessed with shopping. I believe it was more like a reward for themselves after hours of repetitive movements working in local factories.
Some people, however, take shopping and coveting to an extreme by idolizING.
He’s Serious, Y’all
I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.3“You must not have any other god but me.4“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ~Exodus 20:2-5 (NLT)
Courtesy of Biblehub.com
Take a little time to read Exodus 32 and determine for yourselves whether it’s worth it to you to continue idolizING people and things and to be blotted out of God’s book. That means it’s time for us to examine ourselves and our practices. What is that we’re idolizING? What will it take to rid yourself of this addiction? For some, it’s easy. For others, it will take some time, effort, and prayers of the faithful. I’m committed to pray for you by asking God to cleanse your heart of anything that draws you away from him. I ask that you pray for me too.
I can’t spend too much time shopping either and was always getting bored while going with friends. I guess that everything what’s taken to an extreme is unhealthy.
I never liked shopping that much either. I have very little patience for it. When I go into a store, I have a pretty good idea of what I need or want, and I go find it, pay for it, and get outta there. Clothing shopping in particular I find frustrating and boring. I always shop alone because I can’t stand to wait while the people with me just have to try on everything on the rack “just to see how i it looks.” Now book stores are something different. I could spend my whole life in a bookstore, just browsing and reading. But the library serves me just fine and is a lot cheaper. 🙂
I love book stores too.
Now I have an idea for a new post. This is a beef of mine, actually. (except the bookstores). I’m going to use my comment for a short post. LOL!
I love book stores too.
That sounds familiar! LOL! I told you I was going to write a post about it. Thank you for the inspiration 🙂
Oh my goodness, I could have written this post myself! I feel the same way you do about shopping and for the same reason. When I was little my mother used to bring me “school clothes” shopping. We would start early in the morning and not get home til almost supper time. I was exhausted…she would rummage through all the clothes, here try this and this and this….I would follow her around…store after store after store! Now I never go to the stores..UGH! Actually I discovered QVC, which I always thought sold junk, but I was seriously wrong…now I shop in my pj’s any time of day or night…it’s fabulous and then you come home and there are these packages waiting for you, it’s wonderful! You should try it! HA!! I’m not a shopaholic though, it just solved my problem of having to go to stores!! 🙂
I knew there was someone out there like me. 🙂 I do most of my shopping online — even shoes. Best invention EVER! Have a fabulous Friday, Deb.
Totally!! Thank you, wishing you a fun Friday too!! 😊
Can’t say how often I’ve seen good people, especially women fall into obsessive shopping (idolatry). Like the time I asked relatives for donations to our local church youth group – right after they’d payed a shameful amount in an Ebay battle for a Prada bag (they bought new Vuitton’s or Gucci’s every year)! And don’t ask me about the 1st Edition books I saved for months to buy!