“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes…” Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)

Consumers – Part 1 – Buzz Kill

I have no doubt that you’d be familiar with this story. I also have no doubt that you’d identify clearly with the condition that Adam and Eve find themselves in after they partake of the fruit… I know I do.

I was pondering on this story recently and it struck me that the seduction of consumption was the precursor to isolation from God for these two. It was also a deception from the snake that a form of consumption would fulfil all their needs.

Fast forward to the current era and modern western society and you’ll find that most people are generally uninterested in knowing about God. You’ll find the central hub for most social communities are the shopping centres and malls gracing our urban lifestyles. You’ll find that marketers, economists and capitalists encourage and persuade us to be consumers. Their messages telling us it’s for the sake of our identity, economy and freedom.

There is a definite buzz that comes from a new purchase. Psychologists have discovered this buzz to be a release of dopamine in the brain which is a neural reward system. But have you ever noticed that the buzz doesn’t last long? Buy a new pair of shoes, a new phone, a new car and it’s not long until you’re craving the next hit. And like drug addicts (yes this release of dopamine becomes a drug addiction) we crave the next good feeling and are compelled toward it.

More consumption.

This drags us almost completely into physical-only awareness. We self-analyse with thoughts like “Am I wearing the right clothes?” or “Do these jeans make me look fat?” We become more acutely tuned in to how we appear to others.

Just like Adam and Eve realised they were naked…

And while we’re focused on physical-only awareness, our spiritual senses are dulled. We’re not aware of our divine potential and that God is with us in this very moment. This miraculous life – the random and constantly moving atoms holding form to make up our bodies and all that we see – is a sacred moment in and of itself, right this minute.

And that God is in and through it all.

Go to PART 2 “Busy”

[vcex_image_grid columns=”3″ pagination=”false” thumbnail_link=”custom_link” link_title_tag=”true” custom_links_target=”_blank” overlay_style=”title-category-visible” columns_gap=”5″ img_hover_style=”fade-out” image_ids=”20934,20935,20937″ custom_links=”https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1239768002?pt=118656308&ct=blog%20footer&mt=8,https://www.pktfuel.com/dailyemail,https://www.pktfuel.com/support” img_height=”350″]