Can Fast Fashion Affect Your Relationships?

If you're into fashion, you've probably heard much of the hubbub of the day concerning Fast Fashion. I'm not here to demonize it, but I am here to tell you how it may affect your relationships. Seems like a strange connection, but it's actually quite logical when you consider that the world around us affects the way we think.

So what message does this industry give us? There are a few, but just one on which I'll focus here. It tells us we must discard things when they no longer fill our appetites. Consider the common descriptions for clothing that's trending: "Must-haves," "in season," etc. The implication is that each normal person has to constantly grasp after more in order to maintain contentedness. So we keep renewing our closet, and we purge an item when its thrill disappears. Then we go after more items that satisfy in the moment and wear off later.

If we can tolerate this cycle in our wardrobe, it mean's we are tolerating it in other areas of our lives. Sadly, this means various kinds of relationships. Do we look for solid friendships with people we can trust, or are we content to just have people around to talk to? Maybe they are there just to make us feel good, to entertain us, or even to make us feel wanted. But within your relationships, how do you handle conflict? Do you try to fix things, or do you simply find someone else more agreeable when trouble comes?

If you're seeing a common theme in your life of throwing out items, situations (jobs, classes, churches, etc.) and people when things get hard, I want to encourage you. You're a powerful person when you allow yourself to be. If you shy away from difficulty because you've been hurt in the past, there's SO much hope! God knows how to completely heal your heart. All you have to do is ask Him.

Then, as you step out in strength, you'll find that better things linger in your life as you steward them better. You'll find good friends who respect themselves and others. People like that will treat you with respect, and they will help protect the friendship by dealing intentionally with conflict as it arises. This is good, because it means they care enough not to allow misunderstanding and hurt to damage your connection.

So take a look at the way you deal with the things in your life when trouble comes. You can only throw out so much before you feel like nothing is really yours to begin with. Before that happens, allow your heart to be made whole again. Go from there, renew your mindset, and enjoy the staying power of things that you never thought you'd find!