So Near and Yet So Far

September 24, 2022

I love the convenience of shopping for clothes online. Instead of going from store to store looking for the color and style of shirt I want, I can look on Amazon or J.C. Penney or Belk and have my shirt ordered in ten minutes. Time is one of life’s most precious commodities.

However, there are problems with ordering online.

One of the colored t-shirts I ordered had a tag sewn into the seam, just above the waist. Each time I wore it, the tag scraped my skin all day long. (I continue to wear the shirt occasionally, because I hate to admit I made a bad purchase.)

Athletic shoes I buy online are always a more vibrant color than was pictured on the computer screen. I solved that problem by only ordering white now.

It’s impossible to know the feel of fabrics if garments are not bought in person. That can be important! I want to buy something I’ll wear for a long time, not just once in a while. And the fit? Well, it’s always better if you can try something on before you buy it.

To tell the truth, returning items in the mail is a pain in the neck. When I try things on in a store, I don’t have that problem.

However, dealing with live people, face to face, takes time. When I shop online, I am in control. Interaction is messy and unpredictable.

Yeah, that’s the biggest reason I like shopping in person. Interaction with other people is unpredictable. They brighten my day with a smile, or they frown and cause me to try to brighten their day. As workers in stores do their best to care for me, it causes me to do my best to reflect Christ to them.

There’s just something about being with others that makes life better.

Go to church this Sunday! Watching online just doesn’t work.

Matthew 22:37-39, “He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind.This is the greatest and first commandment.And a second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”