Share this Post
We are coming into crunch time as it relates to finishing up Christmas shopping. People will be clamoring about, looking for deals and last minute treasures to buy and give as gifts just days later. Thankfully, you are smart enough to read this and save yourself hundreds of dollars this Christmas. I don’t normally write about financial issues since my blog is primarily focused on developing and maintaining a healthy view of God. However, since Christmas shopping is on most of our minds, it is perfect timing to help you save some money this holiday season. How? We’ll get there in just a moment.
It is often said in our culture that time is money. If you subscribe to that theory than you likely only have one or the other. If you have time on your hands, you typically don’t have as much money as the person who is always working and you feel bad about that. If you’re always working, you typically don’t have much time on your hands. But is time money? Is the best use of our day to constantly be productive, monetizing every moment? It comes down to what our values are. Ironically, many of us find ourselves working so hard and so much that we don’t have any time to enjoy the money we have made. We run out of time or energy to enjoy what we’ve earned because, well, we’ve been working so much! This is typically at it’s zenith in the last few weeks of the year as we try to squeeze every dollar out of every work hour and pay period. We exhaust ourselves in order to buy stuff to give to people that we likely have little to no time to spend with because we’re working so hard to provide those things for them. And on and on the cycle goes… So, I want to help you save hundreds this year, which may even save you time as well! Here’s how… (Click Here To Read ‘Do You Trust God Enough To Rest?’)
Give The Gift They Really Want
Take a moment and think back through all the gifts you gave your children, friends and/or family last year. Can you even remember what you bought? If you can’t remember, then perhaps it wasn’t that important in the first place? (Just a thought) If you do remember, think about how often you interacted with that person around that item. For instance, if you bought your kids a game, think about how often you played it with them throughout the last year. Or, if you bought your girlfriend a puppy or your best friend a movie, how often did you watch the movie or play with the dog? Once or twice? At all? Now, this concept doesn’t work for every gift or for every person but the basic idea is this… Often what people want the most is our focused attention and interaction. No, not everyone wants that and even if they do, they don’t want it all the time. But, it is true that a basic human need is relationship and interaction. That need outweighs our enjoyment of stuff 10 to 1. We may want stuff, but at our core, we crave relationship. ‘Stuff’ is often a cheap substitute for companionship. What good is stuff if we have no one to share it with? That proves my point. (Click here to read my post called ‘I Hate You’)
You can save hundreds this Christmas by considering how much time you will invest in the person you’re shopping for this season. I guarantee that if you regularly sat down and played the game with your kids that you bought them last year for Christmas you wouldn’t need to buy too many new ones this year. I’m certain that if you committed to learning how to use the espresso machine you bought your wife for Christmas last year and made her a cup of coffee each morning before work that you wouldn’t need to find the next great gift for this season. There’s nothing wrong with stuff as long as that stuff brings us together and provides one more tool to help us grow in our interaction and relationship. When the stuff is a substitute for our time, it starts to serve as a means of dividing us. And that usually has to be fed with more stuff over time to satisfy the hunger for real interaction.
Time For A Change
While our culture says time is money I say that time is everything. You can find ways to make more money. You can never make more time. Time is invaluable. Give your time this year. Not just at Christmas but all year long. Invest yourself in the relationships God has given you. That can be between you and your spouse, your kids, friends, co-workers or whomever. Give your time. It’ll save you hundreds of dollars in shopping. There’s certainly nothing wrong with giving gifts. Everyone loves getting a gift but the most valuable gift you can give is yourself… and that requires time. (Click here to read my post called ‘A Saint Abroad and a Devil at Home’)
So go ahead and find some great deals this season, but remember, there is no substitute for you. You are unique and your presence and attention is a gift unlike any other. Give it with intention and love and you may find that all the stuff isn’t as important as you thought it was. I’m praying that we all have the best view in town in this season as we fix our eyes on Jesus. He is available. Take time in this season to spend time with Him. There is no substitute for that. Merry Christmas. (Click Here to read My post called ‘Managing Your Expectations this Christmas)
From The Bible
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. – Philippians 2:3 NIV
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. – Romans 14:13 NIV
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. – I Peter 4:8 NIV
Share this Post