What does the term, ‘Black Friday’ make you think of? Feel?
As a child, my memory of Black Friday was the commercials we would see on TV. Macy’s, Walmart, and every other department store, it seemed, was battling for our eyes and ears. I knew, beyond shadow of doubt, that Christmas was coming. In fact, the commercials began so early that I thought it was practically already here.
Today, my thoughts of Black Friday are even less positive. As a child, I thought it was all about Christmas; as an adult, I realize it’s all about business. Don’t get me wrong – I love enterprise. But I don’t love it over human good.
I don’t love enterprise SO much that I feel the urge to leave my family on Thanksgiving to go and get my deals for Christmas presents. Now, if your entire family makes a go of it, maybe that is a different story. However, that’s not my perspective. I can only share my own.
Isn’t there an inexcusable irony between the day of Thanksgiving Thursday and Black Friday?
The actions of my parents really caused me to contemplate this tradition of our nation this year. On Black Friday, we left our house around 11 am and went out to shop. The difference was, my parents were shopping for those in need at their church, not for themselves. They weren’t even shopping for me, this day! (That was the next day ♥)
Their church has a program that feeds families in their area in need. For the Thanksgiving holiday, I believe they told me that they fed 140 families.
That is significant. Even impacting one family is awesome and amazing, but 140 of them? Wow. Very cool.
So, we went to the grocery store and they filled up 2 carts worth of food. When it was all said and done, they spent under their budget that they had planned, so we went and purchased toiletries that were on the list for these families (soap, toilet paper, etc).
Their thought process? God had blessed them, and thus they were GIVING their thanks back for what He has given them.
I give them honor and credit and am proud to look up to them. I know that God is working wonderfully in their lives. They inspire me to be a better human. ♥
Might we all consider giving our thanks and helping those in need with things they need, versus just going through the motions and trying to ‘get ours,’ meaning, our gifts, our families’ gifts, etc, this holiday season? In the very least, consider.
aubreyeicher 