Ads By Ps Michael Podhaczky

Have you noticed that as you surf the net, drive down the road, listen to the radio or watch TV, you are bombarded with ads? These ads shove the latest, the shiniest, the biggest, the smallest, the most rad things, events or places in your face. There is constant pressure for you to get the product, even if you don’t need it. Perhaps you relish the hype, the glitz and the glam of these kinds of ads. But for many, this is a weight too heavy to bear.

The evidence of this is witnessed by the bulging wardrobe, the overflowing garage, toolshed and kitchen. All the shiny knickknacks, utensils and devices now embellish these humble shrines to the success of the ad. However, for many the victory of the ad is evidenced by the credit card as it groans under the weight of figures, or the lack of savings in the back account.

You may wonder, “why do I give in each time and buy these things that I don’t really need?”; “why is it that I am like a lamb led to the slaughter when it comes to the ad campaigns that all seem to be aimed at me?”; “it’s not fair, I can’t afford it, I don’t really need it, but I just have to have it!”.

Here are some valuable words of help, “you are not alone”. This is a global trend that is only gaining strength as it devours ever more lives. It is motivated by some shrewd people that are out to entrap you in debt at all costs. As George Monbiot of the Guardian has said,

“This is the dreadful mistake we are making: allowing ourselves to believe that having more money and more stuff enhances our wellbeing, a belief possessed not only by those poor deluded people in the pictures, but by almost every member of almost every government. Worldly ambition, material aspiration, perpetual growth: these are a formula for mass unhappiness.”[1]

Solomon has offered some helpful and timely guidance,

“Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is a servant to the lender” (Prov 22:7 NLT).

This does not mean that you should not borrow, but remember that there will consequences for borrowing and you need to be aware of them. If you are not able or willing to accept the consequences, then it is better not to borrow or use credit. It is far better to live content within one’s means, rather than giving into the continuous pressure and groan under the weight of debt. Remember that the ads are out there and are waiting for you. To whom will you turn for support and advise when the ad comes calling you?

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[1] “Materialism: a system that eats us from the inside out.”  http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/09/materialism-system-eats-us-from-inside-out (23^rd July 2015).