Fights, crowd surges and arrests. It sounds like the scene of a passionate protest march, or a football match, or even civil war. But it's not. It's the electronics department of your local supermarket.
Today there have been thousands of people literally fighting with each other to get bargains. Supermarkets across the country had to call the police and even shut up shop after being confronted by customers incensed that there are not enough good deals on offer. It's Black Friday: the latest unwelcome export from America. Somehow the new trend has created more of a frenzy than even the Boxing Day sales.
Fighting at shopping centres might be more understandable, if there were food shortages and hungry people. But no, the items up for grabs are coffee makers and other things that we really don't need.
One of my favourite Bible verses comes from Ecclesiastes: "Those who love money will never have enough." (v 5:10, NLT) This can easily be applied to any of the things that money can buy us: clothes, electronic goods or fast cars. Once we step onto the treadmill of consumerism, it's very hard to get off. We have to keep on running to keep up. It's an addiction – a dangerous substance that promises euphoria and delivers nothing but frustration and trouble.
The Bible verse goes on: "How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!"
The people who are helping us spend it are the supermarket bosses and the clever marketing folk who have helped to convince us that things and stuff will make us happy. Of course they don't – all that happens is that we want more of them. No wonder Jesus spent so much time warning us about the dangers of money.
There's no easier way to lose your wealth than buy into the consumerism trap. It can truly consume us.
