Life is a Market
I wouldn’t say that I love shopping. But It is something that takes a significant part of my life. One particular scenario that has been playing out in my mind is my culture of buying clothes and shoes as a teenager. I often would find myself sweet-talking my parents to get extra money to buy a trendy outfit I saw with a schoolmate or a random person. It wasn’t easy doing that, but somehow I would get off with something and rush to the market. But it was not a guarantee that that exact idea I had of an outfit would be what I would come back home having bought. Many times I bought irrelevant things. I would get caught up in the market hype, thinking that the things I bought were probably even better or cheaper, but reality would strike the moment I got home, and I needed to wear them. When they were displayed at the market, they seemed very catchy and appealing, but I needed some prior knowledge before buying them to make informed decisions. But the pressure to buy anything would make me just succumb.
Sellers are very strategic, and they seem to know who to convince. They don’t care if what one buys will be helpful or not. All they want is for someone to buy their stuff. I remember buying several clothes because they were very colorful and attractive but getting home; I couldn’t wear them and yet I had already spent all my money. They all had issues that I hadn’t foreseen when buying them.
Who should you “pay” your attention to?
Everyone alive on this earth is either buying or selling something. All kinds of people and things are available in the market. In the same way, it isn’t easy to know who exactly to pay attention to. The Bible portrays the market as one of the pictures of life. Understanding this truth helps us be aware of what we buy in the market of Life. Without this understanding, one cannot escape being a victim of either being conned or recruited to buy inconsequential and dangerous items. Remember, in the market of Life, you only have one Life to trade with.
Social media makes it easy to connect with just about anyone within an instance. People share all posts and demand that we like, share, comment, and follow. They may be old schoolmates, charismatic leaders, media personalities, showbiz celebrities, advertisers, business mentors, or political leader. Politicians especially are all over the place. Each one calls for our attention, seeking to influence our thoughts and actions. The world has become one big market. Amid many distracting voices competing for our loyalty, who should we pay attention to? Which one is the right way to follow?
One of the stunning statements that Jesus made about Himself was, “I am the way, the truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus means that anyone not following Him is lost, deceived, and dead because He is the only way to Life. The world is full of darkness and unable to give a permanent solution to various issues such as depression, poverty, corruption, divorce, rape, murder, violence, tribalism, drunkenness, adultery, and fornication. But Jesus has a permanent solution to these. He is the Life that is Light for the world. Sadly, many are “shopping” for peace and happiness in the wrong places.
Depression is one of America’s most common mental illnesses, with more than 17 million adults battling it. The rise in rates of depression has been seen to be fastest among the youngest and oldest ages, whites, the lowest and highest income earners, and those with the best education levels. These results align with recent findings on drug use increases, deaths from a drug overdose, and suicide. The world has come to its knees, and we can see this from the political, education, economic, social, financial, and economic systems. They are crumbling. This is because, we cannot solve the challenges of this world with mere intelligence. Our resources in totality are still very limited to engage the darkness in this world.
Buying a field of Treasures
“The kingdom of heaven is compared to treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then, he sells all he has and buys that field in his joy.” In other words, all the costs and losses are nothing compared to the gains of having the King and his kingdom, the greatest treasure – Matthew 13:44. In a world full of options for what we are to do with our time, strength, money and intellect, we cannot afford to “buy” the wrong goods with ONE LIFE. Each of us gets only one shot at life, not two. If wasted on the wrong goods in this market called called Life, there is no second chance. But if we find that which is truly LIFE and “buy” it with all we have, we gain the richest treasure of all.
In the market of Life, what are you buying?
Joy Minayo is a disciple-maker in the Activate Kenya community, and she enjoys using online media writing blogs to help mobilize disciples towards reaching the unreached.
References
Attention required! (n.d.). Attention Required! | Cloudflare. https://www.pexels.com/search/supermarket/
Following Christ is costly — But how do you count the cost? (2022, June 29). Desiring God. https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/following-christ-is-costly-but-how-do-you-count-the-cost
