"And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow,They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these." - Matthew 6:28-29
The country we live in is lightyears away from the one our grandparents or even our parents grew up in. The one I am raising my boys in, is a universe away from the one I grew up in. Dial up internet and going to an actual store to rent a movie (on tape!) is just not a thing our children will experience. We have the world at our fingertips. Amazon, in all of its goodness, has not only saved me time, but has made me quite impatient. A 2-days wait for an item is about all I can handle. And our impatience is even rewarded as we can track how many stops away our much needed item is.
This morning my husband was talking about an app that is currently the #1 downloaded app 69 out of the last 75 days. Temu, with its promise that "Now you can shop like a billionaire", is an online shopping app that sells many fast-fashion brands, providing various items for way cheaper than in stores. AirPods for $15, clothing reduced by 90% and more. It's appealing and exciting even. But, is it better?
A few years ago, I began a journey of understanding what fast-fashion was and how it impacted others. Harsh work environments, child labor camps, even slave labor is the cost we are truly paying for items from popular websites such as Shein and Temu. That shimmer in your eyeshadow? Would you believe me if I told you it is most likely the result of a woman or child's forced labor? It comes from a mineral called Mica. Please, please, please look it up for yourself. (https://mygreencloset.com/ethical-mica-makeup/ )
Often people, myself included, are just pumped about a good deal. Old Navy anyone? Gosh, I love that place. But, sadly because of our societies over abundance and over consuming, companies are making more clothes, faster. We are consuming more and paying less. But someone must pay. And, honestly, maybe it's too harsh a reality for us to swallow.
What can we do? That has been a constant question for me. I try to research the things I buy, but most companies don't offer an open book playbook for where their material is sourced and how. So, I aim to reuse, buy used, and repurpose as much as possible. And though I know I am daily falling short in this arena, I feel it is so important to keep trying. Making small changes can have a big impact overtime. Not just for another mom raising children worlds away, but for me, my heart, and my families. To close my eyes to the tragedy occurring in other parts of our world in order for my eye shadow to shimmer, would be a loss greater than a heart should be able to bear.
Fast and hurry always empties a soul.
When was the last time you knelt to wash the muddy footprints and a home cooked meals residue off of your hard wood floors with a smile of grace? With a steady calm that whispers, "love lives here". When is the last time I cooked a meal, slowly slicing the veggies, unhurried, but thankful and full of hope for the family or friends that I would get to feed?
Why are we so frenzied in this thought that the next thing is the better thing? The next place, is better than here and now?
Hurry steals joy. It empties us faster than we can breathe. And yet we take another breath in hopes of refilling our lungs and refueling our heart. But this fast-hurried life is calling us, begging us to allow it to steal from us again.
It is so easy for me to fall into this fast paced, frenzied trap. To assume that the more I have the better I have it. That "new" is necessary and deserved. That God helps those who help themselves so I better rush to the next style and rid myself of these awful popcorn ceilings before I appear to not have it all together.
I'm reminded that the goal of life is not to live in ease or to feel comfortable. Friends, we are here to become more like Christ. Period. And if that is truly our life goal, our life will not come with ease. It comes with sacrifice. And sacrifice iOS always willing to go the extra mile or pay the higher price.
When my husband began talking about the Temu app I didn't know much about it but it gave me an eerie feeling. A quick moment to research exposed its colors. So, I urge you friends to slow down. When we do, we get to see the things more clearly. God will reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly to us.
Slow down enough to savor the moments of folding those tiny onesies and imagine the little arms and
legs that fill them today. Allow the kids to make a ruckus in the grocery store, it is a "learning opportunity" (As a new friend Clair recently expressed to me). Aim to savor the cleaning of the mess! Not because you love the mess, but because you love the makers of the mess! Take a brief moment and research before you buy. We are all bearers of the image of Christ and the hands that make our clothing are no different. We can make a difference even by the way we purchase items.
Don't allow "cheaper", "faster", and "hurried" to be the adjectives of your life.
Pour into the life of "Slow". "Purposeful." "Thankful." Here is where the soul is filled.
Love always,
Jessica
If you are interested in learning a bit more, I have added some links below.
1. A List Of Fast Fashion Brands To Avoid & Why
2. Ethical Issues with Mica & Child labor free make-up brands
3. Why you should be leery of Shein and Temu.
4. Facts about Temu