Boston and New York.

So it's been about half a week since I came back from my week long vacation. If haven't guessed already, I went to Boston and New York! 4 days in Boston and 3 days in New York. It was my first time going there for a vacation break.

Here are some things that I learned and experienced.

It was very cold.
Very cold. Negative 15 degree wind chill. Therefore, I wore a thermal, long sleeve shirt, sweater, light jacket, scarf, and coat. And I also bought myself some yoga looking/feeling pants. Don't judge me.

Everything is expensive.
Food. Subway tickets. Apartments. Clothes. Stuff. Everything.

I will never live in New York. 
And I most likely will not live in Boston. It's too busy and congested. I like my space.

On a more serious note, I saw a big problem that could enter into my life in the near future. Consumerism/Materialism is a huge trend. In my opinion, New York is the epitome of consumerism/materialism. It's ridiculous how much money gets spent in that city in a single day. People are buying souvenirs, clothes, food, etc. And it's definitely not cheap.

I'm not sure how to explain it, but I felt a conviction not to live that kind of life. I'm not saying buying things for yourself is wrong. We all need to buy things in order to survive and do what we need to do. But I want something else. I want to evaluate whether or not the thing I'm buying will lead to God's glory

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." - 1 Timothy 6:10

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with being rich. God blesses some for certain purposes in His great plan. And it'd sure be nice if I could be one of those people. But I shouldn't use this idea as an excuse to justify my own pursuit for wealth. And neither should you.

If you think that your financial status determines your satisfaction in life, then you got it wrong. If you think that how much stuff you have determines your happiness in life, then you're wrong. True wealth and satisfaction comes from Christ and only Christ.

In my opinion, how little or much money I have should not determine my satisfaction and happiness in life. Only Christ determines my contentedness in life. And that means I can find contentedness and happiness all the time because He is constant and never shaken.