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Photo: Tearfund
Every year we in the UK spend £30 billion on clothes! That’s nearly £500 each. Most of us buy new clothes on impulse, or under pressure to keep up with the latest fashion, not because we really need more.
Passionate spirituality
Want to be inspired about your spending? Meet John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church who astounded onlookers with his attitude to cash. As his work as an evangelist began he decided to put a limit on the amount of money he lived off. What people earned in the 1700s was a lot less than what we earn now, but the figures in brackets will give you some idea in current terms of what Wesley did. His income went up such a lot because he became a very successful author. He started by earning £30 [£19,800], but found that he could live on £28 [£18,480], so he gave £2 [£1,320] away. The following year saw his income double, but he kept his expenses the same, so he gave away £32 [£21,120]. In the third year his income jumped to £90 [£59,400] and he gave away £62 [£40,920]. In his long life Wesley's income reached as high as £1,400 [£924,000] a year, still he rarely let his expenses rise above £30. When he died in 1791, aged 87, all he left were the coins in his pockets and drawers. Most of the £30,000 [£19,800,000] he had earned in his life had been given away.
What does this mean for me as a disciple?
Turn forward the clock and the principle remains the same. Our attitude to spending needs to reflect what we believe too. Our culture’s attitude to life is often here today, gone tomorrow, which means that it spends without any concern for tomorrow or others. Jesus came to give everyone eternal life which changes our perspective forever! If our spending reflects His perspective then we won’t want to fritter it away, but use it to make a difference to the lives of others, the poor and the world in which we live.
What is my response?
- Buy food with the Fairtrade Mark at the supermarket
- Ask shop managers to stock new Fairtrade products listed at www.fairtrade.org.uk
- Challenge your family, friends, school, uni, youth group and church to support fair trade. Click here to find out how
- Fill in a customer comments card every time you buy new clothes or shoes and ask the shop how the worker’s who make their clothes are treated, and if they are a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
- Find out more about the ETI and how you can challenge high street shops to put people before profits here
Talk2God
Shima, 17, earns approximately £4.00 per week.
The care label inside our clothes tells us how to treat them, but it doesn’t tell us how the person who made them has been treated. Talk to God about the injustice facing millions of garment workers worldwide. Ask Him to show you how you can make a difference to their daily lives through your daily choices.
Ask God to remind you to buy fair trade products every time you shop. Pray for opportunities for your friends, family, church, youth group, uni and school to become fair trade. Visit our Lift the Label food pages to find out more.
Click here to find out what God says about borrowing and how you can minimise yours as you pursue worshiping Him.