Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony

So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall

we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"  For the pagans run after

all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need

them.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:31-33

 

Our friend Webster defines gluttony as: the habit or act of eating too much.  I realize that overeating is a problem for many people, as is evidenced by the explosion of obesity in this country.  But for gluttony to be a mortal, deadly sin, I certainly felt as though there must be more to it.  Returning to the definitions for the Seven Deadly Sins on the website that I discovered, I again found the perfect description:

Gluttony:  The inordinate desire to consume more

than that which one requires.
 

Oh, yes!  That one hits me square in the face.  This is no narrow definition confined to food.  Gluttony is about consumption - of food, of sex, of material possession, of earthly resources - the overwhelming desire to take, and take, and take far more than that which meets our daily needs. 

In the language of economics, I am the "consumer."  In order for there to be a healthy economy, I am urged to go out and consume as much as I can (and as much as I want) in order for there to be a booming free market.  I often go into Target (my favorite store!) for no other reason than to "look"  - at what is on sale, what is new, what might catch my eye.  More often than I want to admit, I walk out having purchased something that I don't need, may decide I don't even want, and certainly do not have the discretionary funds for.  Why in the world do I do it?  

Because somehow there is simply never enough.  Never enough toys, ever enough shoes, never enough clothes, never enough chocolate, never enough junk food, never enough books, never enough gadgets, never enough electronics, never enough...  I could go on and on.  We are, as a human race, insatiable.  We have no clear-cut boundaries between our needs and our wants.  They all mesh together in a never-ending anthem of "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme."