Live. Shop. Die.
By glblguy
live. shop. die. is the saying I found on a small magnet displayed prominently on the outside of a cubical at my “real job“. I am sure this is just one of those “cute little sayings” people like to hang outside their cube, but it did make me think.
First it made me wonder how this person truly views life and made me wonder what is really important to them.
Second, it made me consider society as a whole and if this cute little sign, along with other cute little signs I’ve seen really accurately represented the mojority of society as a whole.
Finally, as things like this often do, it made me wonder what would God have to say about this type of thought process. I’m not generally very good at memorizing scripture, but during these times I always find it amazing how God seems to provide just the related scripture I am looking for…
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19 – 21
The live, shop, die motto would seem to imply that you spend your life shopping. Shopping would imply spending your hard earned money on purchasing material things, or in other words “storing up for yourselves treasures on earth“. This is in direct contrast to scripture. Is it ok to shop? Sure, Jesus was not saying we shouldn’t buy things, as he goes on to say “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. He is just cautioning us to not make our treasure the thing we cherish most…exactly what our “cute little saying” would seem to have us do.
That part that really got me was “die”. Is this how someone really wants to be remembered? “They were a great shopper…they could shop with the best of them…had more stuff than anyone I know…“. This is not how I would want to be remembered, and I would venture to guess not how most if not all people would want to be remembered.
I find “cute little sayings” like this all over the workplace, on bumper stickers, and even on blogs and websites. While at first they make you laugh, they them really begin to make you think about the person and honestly have a strong reflection about them whether intended or not.
How about these alternatives instead?
- live. love. die.
- live. give. die.
- live. share. die.
- live. rejoice. die.
- live. grow. die.
To me, these seem like much better alternatives. Not only are they still “cute” but they send a much more powerful meaning. Of course as I typed this, I would suspect my wife might say mine should be “live. blog. die.“
Be very careful about where you set your priorities in life. Make sure you are focusing on treasure that cannot be stolen or eaten away by moth or rust. Remember, every Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, <insert you favoriate car here> will end up rusting away in a junk yard one day. Every outfit, suit, purse or high dollar pair of shoes you own will be eaten away by moth or degrade in a junk yard one day.
I store my treasure in my family. When I am on my death bed, I want my wife, children and hopefully grandchildren to say “He was a good husband, a good father, and a good grandfather. We will see him soon in heaven“. Nothing else truly matters to me, so my modified cute little saying would be “live. love. die.“
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-13
What would your “cute saying” be? Am I the only one that reads deeper into these things than I probably should? What cute sayings have you seen that made you wonder about the person displaying them? Where do you store your treasure?
November 6th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Thanks for this article. I was just thinking about this whole shopping thing, this morning. Sometimes I feel like I am the only female that didn’t inherit the shopping gene. And, so many women tend to bond over the whole shopping experience, which therefore leaves me out. Thanks for making me feel better :)
November 6th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Great point! I see saying like this and I think ‘Come on! There’s so much more to life than things!’ I love your live, love, die motto. I’ll vote for that one.
:)
November 6th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I just remembered, Brip Blap blogged about a “cute” shirt he saw on a child the other day that said “I want it. You buy it. Any questions?”
November 6th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Lol for the “live.blog.die” one. I have days like that. :-p
But in seriousness, sometimes the world seems ridiculous and futile. Work can be particularly that way. And if you don’t believe in something, anything more (or if the belief isn’t rooted in your heart, the seat of your actions), then life could seem this way. On my most depressed and hopeless days, that’s how I feel (though it’s more like “live.die”).
November 6th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Most days it feels like “Live. Work. Die.”. Sometimes I’d prefer to change the order.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
@Mrs. Micah – Understand what you are saying. Due to my faith, I never really feel hopeless though nor does life ever feel ridiculous or futile…although there are times I do wonder why things are so crazy. I’ll actually be blogging about that tomorrow. Thanks for the honest and insightful comment.
@Justin – Know exactly what you’re feeling. Don’t forget though, you are in control of that at all times. You always have a choice.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Oh yeah, there’s always a choice. Move into a tepee or keep working ;)
Life can be infinitely rewarding, but those 5 days a week where you sell your time can be quite annoying.
November 6th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Like the first commenter, Dawn, I seem to have born without the shopping gene. That’s not to say that I don’t do a lot of shopping — as a homemaker and mother of two teens, I shop a lot. But not for the sake of shopping itself.
glblguy — You’re not alone in having deeper thoughts triggered by ostensibly witty one-liners like “Live. Shop. Die.” My children and I have had many interesting conversations triggered by T-Shirts, bumper stickers, magnets, and even church sign boards that we’ve read over the years.
My saying would definitely be “Live. Love. Die.”
November 6th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Live. Make A Difference. Die. I try…
November 6th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
You misinterpreted the “Live shop. Die.” button. Never heard of sarcasm eh?
November 7th, 2007 at 7:32 am
@Justin – I agree, I think the trick is finding something you really enjoy doing, then it doesn’t seem so much like work. I’d love to blog full-time…
@Elizabeth – Thank you for the comment. I think there is a difference in shopping out of necessity and shopping for the heck of it. We have 6 kids, so right there with you on the shopping for necessity!
@David – Good one.
@Ryan – No I didn’t. Nope, never heard of sarcasm before, what is it? (<== Example of sarcasm). "live. shop. die" isn't sarcasm, it's over exaggeration of something someone enjoys doing. I realize it's over exaggeration, but the underlying point still stands.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:17 am
@Ryan: I’d have thought the reference to it being a “cute little saying” used to describe the thought process in coming up with this entry was enough for people to understand that the saying itself wasn’t being taken seriously.
@glbguy: Agreed, I do do something I enjoy all day, it’s just time consuming and can be wearying at times. I have found that no matter how much I love something that I can become annoyed by it as well. Just glad I am not an OBGYN.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:53 am
@Justin – ROTFL