I remember going to high school with a girl named Rene. Her dad owned the only department store in the small little town, and it was a place where you had to go whenever you needed something.
Rene was a brat. She treated anybody any way she ever wanted to, and she always had people begging her to be their friends. Lord only knows why. Her father was the same way. If anybody walked into his store dressed "a particular way", he'd follow them around the store, making sure that they knew he was there just to make sure they didn't pocket anything.
They could charge any price they wanted to, because there wasn't another store for...oh, give or take 60-miles.
I remember once I went there for a hammer. It cost me 15-bucks.
Years later, Wal-mart went into business nearby. I needed another hammer. It cost me a buck. And soon enough, Rene's dad's shop closed its doors. Many people were happy. With the money they were saving, they would be able to afford some of the necessities that only Rene's family was able to afford up until that point.
Today, she owns a fly shop and she couldn't be nicer to whoever enters the doors. She's struggling, and her dad has turned to the church.
Me? I'll just keep banging away with my dollar hammer until the day comes when it busts and I have to go price them out again. I'm not rich...but I'm not poor either. I'd like to keep it that way.
It doesn't have to be Wal-mart. Doesn't have to be Target. There's evil everywhere, but by the Grace of Jesus we're saved. And if Jesus can forgive, then who am I to be judging between two evils?
Me and my hammer will mind our own business.