Impulsive Shopping

"Imagine a person who lives well, treating others fairly, keeping good relationships... doesn't live by impulse and greed, doesn't treat one person better then another, but lives by my statues and faithfully honors and obeys my laws." Ezekiel 18:5

Have you ever run out to purchase a new outfit simply because  you felt you had nothing to wear? Or better yet, you're shopping with a friend and see a blouse that is oh-so-fabulous, only to get home and decide it doesn't go with anything else you own; as a result it hangs in your closet with tags on.

Our class reunion, a wedding, a special party or even our best friends cook-out begs us to run to the store to buy something new. We often end up purchasing an outfit that is just so-so on us because we're in a hurry to find something and we end up wearing it only once . Oh, that life of an impulsive shopper! Oh, the money wasted!

I wonder if God thinks we've become a  nation of impulsive Christians too. We quickly toss up a prayer pleading for help regarding an illness or impending bills. Or, we quickly scan through a book that promises spiritual health in three easy steps. In the end, the quick scan of the book and one-time prayer doesn't afford us all we really need- but we hardly notice since we've moved on to our next impulse.

Again and again we put our relationship with God in a corner, then pull it out when a crisis comes, then stick it back in the corner as normalcy returns. And we become confused as to why things are turning out the way they are. We struggle with reaching out to God, only doing so when we need Him to fix something for us. Then we get angry when He feels distant; kind of like how we feel unfilled when that new dress or pair of shoes doesn't really solve our wardrobe issue.

Impulsive shopping and impulsive Christian living have much in common. Both cause confusion and frustration. Both require intention and a plan to overcome.