“Does this top look good on me? Nothing can top the outfit I wore last night! I like this pink top a whole lot. My mom would kill me if I bought it because I have like 50 of these in my closet right now.”
Cell phone rings.
“Jamie, you wouldn’t believe how great it is here. This frat boy like picked us up in his Range Rover and took us to his penthouse. It was like so nice, then we went to out and the guys spent $300 on all of our food and drinks. They bought everything, and there’s this totally cute guy…”
I pick up my lime green purse, open my dressing room door, and leave with my sister.
The girl in the dressing room across from me held us hostage with her conversation. For five minutes, her words were the only thing my sister and I heard. We left the boutique gasping for air!
The pink rhinestone flip flops were the only thing I could physically see on her, but I saw more of who she was than her appearance would ever reveal. She was hurting for attention and affection. She wanted love and acceptance. Her life seemed to be consumed by the material world.
The funny thing is there is a part of me that desires what she desires: cute clothes, rich guys with just the right image, fancy cars, etc. There is another part of me that feels absolutely repelled by every word this girl uttered, and wants to be everything opposite of what she expressed.
The part of me that desires the material stuff is what Christians call, the flesh. It’s the part of us the usually craves instant gratification and it usually doesn’t like to wait on God or anyone for that matter.
The other part of me that felt horrible after listening to her conversation is what Christians call, the Spirit. The Spirit is the part that calls me to live for the immaterial, God.
When I’m in the flesh, it’s the side of me that wants the awesome outfit no matter the cost or attention from cute guys- forget about the price. It’s the side that I fight daily. It’s the side of me that makes me feel further from God when I give in.
When I’m in the Spirit, I live for others. I say “no’ to the cute top knowing I can give my money to sponsor a malnourished kid in Africa. I say “no” to the cute boy (that I know isn’t right for me) because I’m guarding my heart and body from damage. It’s the side of me that makes me feel closer to God when I resist.
Now, I’m not saying that having cute clothes and wanting a boyfriend are wrong. I’m saying it is damaging to be so focused on the material that you lose focus on what’s important, God and others.
The spirit part of me hurts: it hurts to think about how many children I could’ve helped out. If the cost of feeding a starving child or someone with AIDS was a shirt in my closet, then I could have helped 30-50 people by now.
The immaterial part of me, the Spirit, is dying to live. Materialism (image, whatever you want to call it!) is choking my spirit because it wants my flesh to live. When you live in the flesh, you are not really living. Jesus said, “I came that you might have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). He wasn’t talking about the mall or consumerism; he was talking about His love, His Spirit.
Lately, every time I go shopping, I feel dead. The girl in the dressing room was a good reminder of what I don’t want to be, but also of whom I want to love with God’s love. I don’t like this material life I lead. I want to be an immaterial girl living life to the full in a material world.
Read and meditate on this verse with me:
Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Suggested Readings:
Galatians 5:16-26
Ephesians 2:8-10
