What the Stanley cup craze tells us about ourselves
A woman in Roseville, California, was arrested after police found 65 stolen Stanley tumblers in the trunk of her car. The estimated value? $2500.
I was intrigued when I saw the photo. The police displayed the stolen merchandise as if it was a drug bust. That’s when I learned there’s literally a social-media-fueled overconsumption craze in the country for the Stanley Quencher. It’s basically your old Stanley thermos (that kept our soup hot for lunch) turned on its head with a straw and a new handle that no longer folds down. And it retails for fifty dollars.The cup is now a status symbol.
From Forbes to National Geographic you can find articles written in the past three days about this new status symbol. I think NATGEO’s headline captures it: “Stanley water bottle craze: too much of a good thing.”
God created everything and everything God created He declared good. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing. It is possible to over-consume and overindulge.
In Genesis 1 and 2, God spoke— and there was light. God spoke and there was land and sea. There was a sun, moon and stars. God spoke— and there were fish, birds and animals. And with each creation, he saw that it was good.
Then, in Genesis 2:18, we see the first time God said something was not good. And what is not good, you ask? It is not good for man to be alone.
Made in the image of God, who exists eternally in community and relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit, human beings have an actual need for other human beings.
One wife, one husband is good. But more than one wife, more than one husband—too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing.
We may just shrug off the Stanley quencher frenzy as a social media craze, or the latest trend we will laugh about later. But chances are— there is something in our consumer culture that is consuming you.
Too much of a good thing.
So, where have you allowed a good thing to grow in its influence in your life to the point that it’s no longer good or good for you?
Where have you allowed something designed to be consumed, to consume you?
Where have you allowed the influencers of this social media-saturated, never-enough generation to lead you down a path of excess, indulgence, decadence, gluttony, greed, wolfishness, lavishness, or anything that might follow the word binge?
Is water good? Yes, and necessary.
Is a container to transport your water a modern convenience, yes?
Do you need ONE? Maybe.
Do you need one that costs $50 in every color in the rainbow to the point that owning them drives your life or identity? No.
The Bible helps us discern when we’ve gone down the path of too much of a good thing.
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:4-8
The Stanley cup quencher craze is evidence that we can be driven mad by nearly anything. Pet rocks, Beanie babies, water bottles. And if you’ve already grown weary of the Swifties and the KC Chiefs, just wait until the Stanley cup fanatics discover hockey.
