'tis The Season To Sigh

INTRO.- ‘Tis the season for shopping.

ILL.- A lady said, “I was browsing in a souvenir shop when the man next to me struck up a conversation. Just as he was telling me that his wife was getting carried away with her shopping, a brief power shortage caused the lights to flicker overhead. ’That,’ he sighed, ’must be her checking out now.’”

ILL.- It was the day of the big sale (you know, the day after Thanksgiving). A long line of people formed in front of the store by 6 AM, the store’s opening time.

A small man pushed his way to the front of the line, only to be pushed back, in the midst of loud and colorful curses. On the man’s second attempt, he was punched square in the jaw and knocked around a bit and then thrown to the end of the line again.

As he got up the second time, he complained to the person at the end of the line, "That does it! If they hit me one more time, I’m not opening the store!"

Sure sounds like the day after Thanksgiving, doesn’t it?

ILL.- I had almost totally forgotten this fact until last Friday morning. Elaine and I were staying with her son, Brad, in Jonesboro, IL. I got up early as I always do and headed for Wal-Mart. I wanted to do my shopping. Actually, I went to buy some apples for breakfast. I got to Wal-Mart about 5:20 and wondered why there were so many cars in the parking lot that early in the morning. As soon as I walked inside it suddenly dawned on me.

I purchased a couple of red delicious apples and took them to my car. Then I went back inside to look around a while and also see if I knew anybody.

I took a tour of that whole store and never saw a single person I knew. But what I saw was an interesting and humorous sight. Wal-Mart had all their super specials in the middle aisles of the store, covered with garbage bags. They were marked with large numbers, signifying the special items that they were about to unveil at 6 a.m. And the people were standing there like vultures, waiting to pounce.

I thought, “How could anything be that valuable or important?” Then I went to check the sale bill to see if they were offering anything I might want!!!

‘Tis the season to shop. It is indeed.

ILL.- Holiday shopping started with an $8 billion day last Friday. That’s up 10.8 percent over last year.

I am certainly not against shopping for Christmas or shopping at any time of the year. We are blessed to have everything in America and have enough money to buy things, but some things can be overdone. And if anybody will overdo something, it will be the American people!

I Tim. 6:17-19 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

‘Tis the season to shop and spend money. But that’s not all. ‘Tis the season for many things: traveling, eating, indulging, drinking (for some), partying, watching TV, watching football, etc. All these things and more.

Let me suggest to you that this is also the season for sighing. That’s right, sighing.

Sighing is defined in this way: to breathe out slowly and noisily, expressing tiredness, sadness, pleasure, boredom, etc.

PROP.- ‘Tis the season to sigh. Two different sighs.

1- The sigh of sadness

2- The sigh of relief

I. THE SIGH OF SADNESS

ILL.- A few moments after the daughter announced her engagement, her Father asked, "Does the boy have any money?"

The daughter shook her head sadly. "Oh Daddy ! You men are all alike." Sighing deeply, she replied, "That’s exactly what he asked me about you."

That’s the sigh of sadness although there is far more sadness in this world than wondering whether your prospective son-in-law or prospective father-in-law has any money or not.

Job 3:23-25 New International Reader’s Version reads this way: “Why is life given to a man like me? God hasn’t told me what will happen to me. He has surrounded me with nothing but trouble. I sigh instead of eating food. Groans pour out of me like water. What I was afraid of has come on me. What I worried about has happened to me.”