Sky Mall and the Things We Buy

February 10, 2021 by  
Filed under Daily Devotions, Humorous

By Peter Lundell –

On a recent flight I browsed the Sky Mall catalog, which exists to showcase things every satisfied person ought to have. My favorites:

A showerhead that lights up with different colors, which “can feel as enjoyable and relaxing as being in a spa.” Oh, really?

A toilet seat with a sensor that automatically raises and lowers the seat and lid, because “some men have a hard time remembering to put the toilet seat down after use.” Humph. Men.

The world’s largest CD storage towers that can hold my “2,262 CDs” or “936 DVDs.” But there are only 365 days in a year.                                                                                                                            

A cherry wood luxury showcase for my “24 watches. Over 4 million sold world-wide.” Guess I should have one too—after I buy another 23 watches.

A portable staircase to help my older dog get onto its favorite bed or sofa. (So I don’t have to lift my pet.) Lucky me.

Then there are the skeleton gnomes (midget skeletons with red caps), along with statuary of zombies, and replicas of King Tut’s Egyptian Throne and the Peeing Boy of Brussels. How inspiring.

Oh, how happy I would be if I owned all these things. How happy many people seem to think they will be.

By design, our consumer culture keeps adults thinking and buying like insatiable children.

Then Jesus comes along and tells us to give things up, even our lives. Who would want to follow Him? Seriously, Jesus is not attractive to materialists—which is one reason so many reconfigure Jesus as a palatable religious icon in their own image.

Yet the human heart—whatever it believes—still yearns for something deeper and more enduring. No one can adequately fill the vacuum inside it except the God who put it there in the first place.

So, how filled is your vacuum?

PRAYER: Lord, keep my heart on Your Kingdom, my eyes on the unseen, my mind on the eternal. And let me not be seduced by the allure of possessions.

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21 NIV).

About Peter Lundell

Peter Lundell, author of Prayer Power and other books, is a writer, pastor, and Bible college teacher. At www.PeterLundell.com you can see his books, subscribe to his inspirational “Connections,” and get free downloads of many articles, parables, and short stories.
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Comments

2 Responses to “Sky Mall and the Things We Buy”
  1. Mary Caffrey says:

    I think a lot of the items people collect are out of habit or fear. For example, my World War II veteran friend saves empty tin cans. During the Great Depression, his family started this habit.

    When we were kids, we collected big rocks, about the size that might be dinosaur eggs. Unfortunately, our wagon-full never hatched.

    Now, I collect prints. I have about 20 of them, including a Gertrude Quastler one, “Edgar,” which I remember seeing in a junior college art text. Online auction houses really help our obsessions, all the things up for grabs.

    My favorite collections are good memories of family times, together. You can never have enough of them.

    Thanks for your great article and the chance to reconsider what is important in our lives. That Sky Mall catalog might have been left on the plane by an angel.

  2. Dawn Wilson says:

    Thanks for a reflective (and humorous) post, Peter. Some time ago, I realized that the things I’d spent good money on, years ago (so-called “collectibles”)wouldn’t even go for 25 cents in a garage sale. Huge wake-up call. I started evaluating what I spend on, and why. But your post goes even further… do we really think with an eternal mindset when we spend our hard-earned money? When we are filled with the Spirit (the best “vacuum” filler I know), we will be wise and careful.

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