Sticking your thumb in the dike

"Sticking your thumb in the dike" refers to the story of Hans Brinker, a young boy who saved Holland from flooding due to his plugging a hole in a dike with his finger.

When you place a "thumb in the dike" you are acting to find a quick solution to a problem before it becomes much bigger.

However, the negative to this thought is that in almost all cases, the quick solution doesn't last.

It is a temporary solution against the wave of challenges that you and I face.

That is the way I believe it is with commercialism in the United States. 

It seems to be almost fruitless to stand up against the wave of consumerism in our country.  Now there is talk of stores being open on Thanksgiving day.

Face it, friends.  Our culture worships things.

Professor James A. Roberts uses the following true story to illustrate the power of our "worldwide consumer culture".

He writes, "Surely a man the size of Walmart worker Jdimytai Damour could control the expected Black Friday shopping crowds.  At 6 feet 5 inches and 270 pounds, he was a force to reckon with.  In fact, he was chosen to work the front entrance to the Walmart store at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Strema, New York, precisely because of his hulking frame.

But alas, he was no match for the crowd of 2,000 Walmart shoppers eagerly awaiting the 5:00 A.M. store opening.  A few minutes before store opening, the throng could no longer be held back.

The sliding glass doors that separated the would-be shoppers from the holiday bargains ("door busters" takes on a whole new meaning) bowed form the bodies pressed against them.  Six to 10 workers attempted to no avail to push back, but they were fighting a losing battle.

In an instant, the glass doors shattered and the frenzied mob surged into the store in search of the heavily discounted "door busters" available in limited quantities for a short period of time.

Tragically, Damour was thrown to the floor and trampled to death (the official cause of death being asphyxiation related to his trampling) in the stampede that streamed over him in pursuit of bargains on big-screen TVs, electronics, clothing and a myriad of other consumer goodies.

One shopper, Kimberly Cribbs of Queens, said that the crowd acted like "savages".  And the shoppers' bad behavior didn't end with the trampling of Damour.

When the shoppers were informed that the store would need to be cleared because of the death of an employee, many continued to shop, yelling that they had been waiting in line since the day before. 

Many had to be escorted from the store."

Wild stuff.  Tragic.  Horrific.  Challenging.

Let me put the proverbial "thumb in the dike" by saying that as Christians, we need to keep all of this in perspective.

Thanksgiving Day is to be a day to give thanks.  To be thankful not for what we don't have but for what we do have.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.