Window Shopping

There’s not exactly a ton of things to do outside of the house with kids these days so like all of you, we’re doing our best to be creative and keep everyone entertained (and sane). I mean there’s always the trampoline park, which is surprising because honestly, if there is any place crawling with germs right now, that would probably be it. But whatever, I’m not complaining.

One of our favorites though, is Barnes and Noble. Brandon and I both love to wander and look at books. We’ll take turns looking around while the other one watches the kids scour the toy aisles. I’m really not sure why we think it’s fun to take them there because no matter how many times we explain that we’re just looking, the kids find a toy they can’t live without and I know that telling them to add that particular item to their birthday list is only going to work so many times before they catch on to my tricks. But we go, we window shop, they find something they love and suddenly the pile of toys they already have is no longer enough. Window shopping leaves them wanting, even though they already have more than enough toys.

Before Brandon and I began in the ministry, he was a real estate broker. I loved to help him take pictures or go to open houses and just look. It was fun to see the beautiful homes on the market. One had the most beautiful master suite, another an amazing deck that the lucky new homeowner would be able to relax on while they watched their kids play in the huge backyard. The kitchen in this one was straight out of a magazine, and the pantry in that one was what dreams are made of. The decor in another was masterfully placed and everything just flowed together so well. It was fun to just look. To window shop. And then I would go home. Don’t get me wrong…I loved our home. But seeing the features and extravagant details in the other homes left me wishing. Maybe for a different layout, or sink, or couch. Wishing I had a better way to fill the space on that one particular wall, or the perfect rug to pull everything together in the living room. Maybe there was nothing wrong with just looking, with window shopping to see what other people had…but there was something wrong with how I let it affect me. There was something wrong with how I allowed my mind to wander to what I believed I was lacking. Window shopping left me wanting, even when I had everything I already needed and more.

Window shopping is tricky. It’s innocent. It’s fun. But there’s a line. The line you cross when you start to think someone else has so much more. The line you cross and start to believe they have it so much better. You start to desire more and forget that what you have is more than enough.

Maybe you scroll a few minutes to kill time and find yourself comparing your living room to the one on Pinterest. If you just had that sectional, if your tv was bigger. So you jump online and start shopping couches, televisions, rugs and throw pillows. Amazon’s “view in your room” feature clinches the deal and you can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe it’s not in the budget, but whatever, you’re just looking. You put the phone down and look around to see all the ways your home is lacking. The leaky faucet, the bare walls. Your hand me down couch or that coffee table with a wobbly leg.

Maybe you compare your vacation to the one popping up on Facebook and all the sudden that trip to grandma’s isn’t cutting it compared to their tropical getaway. You look up plane tickets and hotel rooms…and it’s clear. You’ll be road tripping to grammy’s again next year.

You see that perfectly posed family picture on Instagram and think they must have it all together. Their kids are all smiling AND looking at the camera…they definitely didn’t have to be bribed into those smiles like yours would be. The outfits are perfectly coordinated. There’s just enough of a breeze to make the mom’s hair blow gently in the wind and you can’t remember if you even brushed yours today.

And suddenly you’re agitated, anxious. You can’t really explain it, but you feel out of sorts. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of comparison. It’s so easy to look around and see everything we don’t have and forget everything we do.

There’s nothing wrong with a Pinterest perfect living room, a tropical getaway, or a stunning family portrait. In fact, those are all great things…and we should be genuinely happy for people that have them.

The problem comes when we can’t “window shop” without comparing. When we walk away feeling dejected and sorry for ourselves. It comes when we forget what we have because it isn’t what someone else has.

Psalm 119:36-37 says “Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things.” I used to assume “worthless things” only referred to impure things, evil things. But realizing how easily we can get caught up in the comparison game whether through social media or somewhere else made me realize that term is much broader. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Keeping your eyes from worthless things is a great way to pave the road to contentment.

Keep your focus where it needs to be. Keep your mind from wandering to what you want instead of gratitude for what you have. Don’t spend your time wishing, when you should be doing. Keep your eyes from worthless things,

And for heaven’s sake, keep your kids out of those toy aisles.