Ok people. We are just going to get into it. And let me start with this. This blog post is by no means purposefully judging how much people spent on the sale or whatever, this is just my honest thoughts. If you've been on Instagram, there's a 99.9% chance you know about one of the biggest sales of the year, The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. And let me start with this: I LOVE Nordstrom and I really do love this sale! But something about it this year, with all the hype on Instagram and being in the "blogger" world really caused me to stumble. I truly don't know how else to describe it. Let me give you a play by play:
The weeks leading up to the #nsale I knew I wanted to shop early since I’m a card member (Nordstrom card members get the perk of shopping the sale before the public). I knew exactly what I wanted to get. I had a mission. I wanted to go in with an organized game plan, and stick to my budget. But as the start of the sale approached, I found myself obsessing over it, planning out my week so I could get up early to get online to shop the freaking sale. I FREAKING PLANNED MY WEEK AROUND IT. SOS. (ok those who are full time bloggers and this is their job and way to support themselves that is great, but that’s not me). Anyways, I planned my week around it and was supper anxious I wouldn’t get my picks. I found myself comparing what my friends and other ppl online were getting with what I wanted. I heard a range of spending totals and I kept thinking, “Am I too frugal? OMG will I spend WAY too much? Wait; am I crazy for not getting more? How are people willing to drop TONS and TONS of money on this sale, is that normal? Is that how much I need to be spending?”
So, on the day of the sale, I woke up early, got all my items online and decided to be done. I told myself “ok, you can be on Instagram and talk to people about what they got but be “done.” Well at about 12pm (mind you I got up at 5am - yes I was one of the crazies) I started feeling just sick to my stomach. If I saw one more try on haul, texted one more time about it or spent any more time on it I thought I was going to explode. For two weeks leading up to the sale and the actual day of the sale it was literally the only thing I saw people talking about and posting about on Instagram. Normally, I would say I do pretty well with Instagram. I’ve been intentional about not getting swept up in my follower count or the “keeping up with the jones’” Instagram style mostly due to a community that keeps me in check. But this sale. It was everywhere; it consumed my phone, day, my week, my mind. And I hated it.
That afternoon I decided to get off Instagram until I felt ready. I was sick with my own consumerism and the consumerism of this world. I wish I was as excited to buy new books to learn more about God, or books to better myself as I was for this sale. I wish I was this on top of my game to plan ways on where I can be of good use of my time and gifts. But no, this week was spent obsessing over clothes and a sale.
A few days before I read in my devotional about where we are placing our priorities, are we focused on our life here on earth or above? The devo asked these questions:
“What set of values determines your schedule?”
“What perspective about the nature of and purpose for your existence forms your every-day street level priorities?
“What view of life determines how you make decisions?”
“How does your thinking shape what you do and say every day?”
Wow. Well if I were to have answered them that day and week, here’s what my answers would look like:
“What set of values determines your schedule?” - My values this week were the value I saw in my closet and it determined how I spent my time. I am ashamed to admit this but I actually planned to not be too social Wednesday night so I could be up early, ready to shop online Thursday morning. I even canceled my workout class for that morning. yikes
“What perspective about the nature of and purpose for your existence forms your every-day street level priorities? - Well lol it seemed my sole purpose for existence was this sale so that’s good.
“What view of life determines how you make decisions?” - My view of life was completely materialistic. I was at risk of making unwise decisions with my money.
“How does your thinking shape what you do and say every day?” - My thinking was selfish and also self-deprecating by comparing myself to others. There was a lot of negative talk in my head.
None of those answers included my walk with the Lord, my job, my community or things that matter or bring true value and joy to my life.
During trials (like hi a freaking shopping sale became a trial for me, yikes) I am always brought back to this truth: The only thing on this earth and eternity that can fully satisfy us is the Lord and our relationship with Him. Not clothes, not a sale, not social media, not the amount of likes on social media. He has already given us everything we need through the gift of eternal life. Time and time again we read in scripture “I am the bread of life”.
In Colossians 3:1-2 it says,
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not things that are on earth.”
If were to look at how I spent my time this week, I was not doing that. And I want to be in a place where that is my priority and where I’m asking myself the questions I listed above constantly to keep me in check.
Now, I’m not saying don’t shop the sale, there really are great deals! I wrestled with wanting to post about it on my Instagram too much bc it’s already out there. And I truly feel like my blog is more of a lifestyle place so I want to keep it that way. I hope by you reading this you aren’t offended but can maybe relate, whether it’s the #nsale or something else that’s consuming you right now. What is it? What are you letting “rule” your life right now?
