Thought for the Week
I am thinking of starting a protest group.— A group to protest against the use of the word “only” in so many advertisements.
I was behind a mother and a boy about seven years old who was obviously trying to persuade her to buy something –I didn’t hear what but what I did hear was “but it is only £49.99.”
That was outside the shop. When I came home the TV was advertising televisions at “only” £599, and I opened up my post which included an advert for a Cruise “from only” £799 pp.
To put the word “only” in front of these prices demeans the gift itself and the giver.
It is almost saying this gift does not cost much and there are much more expensive gifts and that the giver actually doesn’t care much because they have chosen to pay “only” whatever the price is listed
Unless you happen to be a millionaire or very wealthy to buy any of these three items would entail a number of hours of work, a sacrifice of giving up other things in order to afford these.
In turn this would mean the giver must care such a lot about the person they were giving this so there is nothing “only” about the price and certainly not about the value of that gift or the sacrifice made by the giver.
This Christmas time let’s not be taken in by the demeaning of the value of gifts and their giver by that word “only”.
Let us also, in all the hustle and bustle spare a moment to think of the greatest gift of all—a baby born in a stable to a humble carpenter and his wife.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life ( John ch 3 v16).
May you have a peaceful and blessed Christmas. Joy Weightman Associate Minister Cambuslang Baptist Church