Waste not, want not: thrift stores and their necessity

My Mom and I are avid op-shoppers. Perhaps this is like saying “my Mom and I are cheap and don’t like spending loads of money on things that already exist in good condition”. But have you ever gone to an op-shop, found something that you have wanted for a while and spent little money on it. It is the best. I found a brand new pair of red vans for $17 whilst my friends spend $117 on it. Op-shops definitely give you bragging rights.

Perhaps you don’t see their existence as a necessity. But I do. God calls us to be stewards of the earth. This world is not our own, it belongs to God. Whether or not you believe in Climate Change or Global warming, there is an indefinite problem regarding the consumeristic age. In the Western World, we consume too much. We have such a large “footprint” on the earth, meaning we are not using the resources God has graciously given to us to their best end.

Needless to say, my op-shopping will not stop more and more goods from being produced. In fact, store will continue marketing to people and people will continue to buy from them. In fact, I likely will to. Despite the possible futility of my endeavor – as our footprint gets even bigger – I can change what I do, which is all I can really be asked to do.

People are asked all the time to do something. And its not because you are going to change the world, like they always say in advertisements. It’s because we are the only people we can really change. My determination to find something second-hand rather than store-bought, or to upcycle something I already have, or to not waste profusely is a reflection of the change in me.

There are many things that have changed in my life. My decision to be an avid op-shopper is hardly a large one. But it is an important one, because if it means that I am taking care of God’s world just a little bit more, maybe even reflecting a bit of God in me, then I know I am doing good.