Have you noticed that milk is always at the back of the store? I saw an interview with a grocery store marketer and was fascinated by what I heard!
Milk is at the back of the store because it’s a staple. You’re forced to walk by products you don’t intend to buy in order to pick up the items they know you’ll buy. The master marketer gave multiple examples of how product placement motivates shoppers to buy impulse items, thus driving up the grocery bill.
A friend asked me if I grocery shop with a list. The reality is, I can’t go without one! I’m an easy target for savvy marketers. My list is my best defense. I can’t tell you how many times I walk by tempting displays repeating to myself, “It’s not on the list, it’s not on the list!”
The enemy of our souls wins the prize for savvy marketing. He places all kinds of distractions along the path to the staples of the Christian life. Some mornings the path from my bed to my Bible can feel like a minefield of distractions! Believe it or not, I have a list of reasons to spend time in God’s Word every day. This list is my best defense against the lies of the enemy. Here’s a few items from the list:
1. He knows everything and I don’t. I’m not smart enough to tackle the decisions of the day without His guidance.
2. He’s all-powerful and I’m not. I need His strength every day!
3. He’s in control of everything and I’m not (though my family says I give it a good try!). I need to be reminded of that comforting truth!
4. His love is perfect and mine is not. I want to love my family and friends with a selfless love but my own agenda can so easily get in the way. I need His love in order to love the way I want to love. (try saying that 3 times really fast!)
5. His love for me is perfect. Self-image issues (and menopause emotions!) fan the flames of lies that drag my view of myself into the pit. His love for me fills my heart to overflowing and gives hope in the midst of failure.
6. Apart from Him I can do nothing that has lasting value. When I put off my time with the Lord it’s usually because my “schedule” is so full I don’t think I have time for it. In John 15:5 Jesus says,
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
If I say ‘no’ to time with God I’m cutting my legs out from underneath me. I’m running a race I’ll never win…why would I want to do that?!
What about you? If you had a list of reasons to spend time with God, what would be on it?
Good idea not to take a pen into the store with you. It is weird how the list can grow. Also, children. They are like raptors, one distracting you by complimenting your hair while the creates a shrine to Hostess under the vegetables in your cart.
My list would also include:
7. Satan is a punk, and he has infinite disguises. I am a white girl living in the suburbs with very little street smarts. I need Gods help just figuring out who to listen to, and who is on God’s side.
8. Always read the Bible before you get out of bed. It is like eating before you go to the store. I am not hungry for junk when I am full of protien. (ok, truthfully, I ALWAYS want Dove chocolate. They don’t even have to wrap it up pretty, and those little proverby statements inside do nothing for me. I know where Dove chocolates are in EVERY store in Colorado and the sorrounding states, and if they aren’t on the list, I write it in when I get home, scratch it off and throw the list away.)
Kids and grocery shopping…so many opportunities to practice your parenting skills in public! Love the Bible and protein analogy…still trying to figure out how Dove chocolate fits in…but it is amazingly good!