Friday, May 13, 2011

For Naught





The words "...sell themselves for naught" have been running through my brain for the past week or so.  I've been pondering on just what this means.  I mean, I've read them many times in the past, but my eyes have gone right over them.  Have you ever read something and certain words stick out to you so much that it's all you can remember?  That's how this has been.

I remember the day last year, when #4 and I were in the grocery store.  He passed by the gift cards--it was near his birthday time.  He mentioned, quite excitedly, that they had gift cards for Club Penguin--a game he plays online (very rarely).  I asked him why they would sell gift cards as this is a free site.  He told me that you can buy clothes and accessories for your penguin.  Hmm.  Sounds like buying nothing to me.  Nothing you could put your hands on.  Nothing you could taste or feel.  Basically, buying air is what you'd be doing.  I tried to explain this to him.

Sell yourself for naught--sell yourself for nothing.  I've heard a lot lately about people who are addicted to various substances.  They not only sell themselves for nothing, they sell themselves for worse than nothing--diseases, terrible sicknesses, early aging....They sell their very lives for things that destroy them.

Yes, in this day and age, we sell ourselves for nothing.

These words also made me think about how I use my time.  Do I sell myself--my time and effort--for naught?  Yes, life is to be used for the betterment of yourself and others, but do I use it for that purpose?  Do I miss out on opportunities because I can't get past what I want?

My dad, when the Warden and I were first married, would remind me to not forget to have fun--especially as we were so poor we felt we couldn't afford fun.  As long as we don't go overboard, fun is necessary.  It's part of striking a balance.

So, we all have time wasters, but how do you come to a balancing point?  Are there some things that you spend your time on that bring nothing into your life?  I really enjoy facebook.  I love that it's connected me to so many others, but I have to share that too much time on anything is selling myself for naught.  I check in daily.  I try to uplift others.  I don't, however do the games.  That's right, I have no farm.  That, although entertaining, can be a huge time sucker, and what do you get out of it?  Naught.

There are so many offerings out there that do nothing for us.  The word "sell" at this point in our world, with the economy being what it is, really stands out.   We, ourselves, are our most vital commodity.  What are we selling ourselves for?

6 comments:

Alyson said...

Very well said!

LeAnn said...

Awesome pondering thoughts. I do agree we sell ourselves short sometimes.
Balance is something I am always working on. There are so many things that require our time and choosing the better part is sometimes difficult.
Fun is an important ingredient in our lives.
Have a great weekend and blessings to you!

Lena Baron said...

So Very True! Facebook actually ended up being something that I chose to give up. It was a choice I made in order to keep a good balance. Thank you for the good reminder and lesson from the scriptures!

vaxhacker said...

So very true. That seems to be a hallmark of our age. Chasing after shadows and trying to catch sunbeams in your hand. Only we pay handsomely for those empty promises. I see it in the area of identity security most of the time, though. What price do we pay to be in the "in" crowd on Facebook? To check in to everywhere we go on Foursquare? It's fun, but what do you really get out of it? Is it worth the price you pay in protection of your privacy and security?

What about buying store memberships where they record and track everything you buy, what time you're in the store, how you walk through the store, what you look at in the aisles, what you buy at other stores, so they can compile information about you to target advertising in your direction? (And how long will it be before there is big money to be made selling the information about what food you buy, alcohol, cigarettes, exercise gear, Rx and OTC drug purchases, etc., to your health insurance company?)

For the sake of saving a few pennies on the grocery bill (and the feeling of "belonging") we give up more than we really tend to realize.

We also sell ourselves short in a different way, I think, when we choose to care more about who's winning American Idol than who we're at war with, or what laws our leaders are writing, or even what's happening in our own towns and schools.

Unknown said...

I don't have a "farm" either! =O I am always in wonder of those who find that so entertaining. I can sit for hours with my Bible and devotional and feel guilt for neglecting the dishes or laundry. I couldn't imagine how I would feel after spending hours on the "farm". Thank you Julie for linking up at Women of Noble Character, and for the thought provoking post. Blessings!

Pitterle Postings said...

Wonderful thoughts today!! Thank you for sharing and for linking up so that I could read them.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...