As I was sitting at a stop light today in our quaint downtown, I was people watching. Let me start by saying....I am not trying to be judgmental in this post or when I make this statement: We have a lot! I see women dressed nicely pushing their babies in prams careful not to mess up their manicures and hoping their beautifully styled hair is not getting too wind blown. I see people driving EXTREMELY expensive cars, trying to parallel park, to eat at the favorite local mexican food restaurant. I also see people dressed casually in cut off shorts and t-shirts with flip flops and ponytails. I see people walking everywhere....some who look to have a whole lot and some who look to have just a lot. I know, that we (as in my family) have a lot, and I often find myself conflicted by that. I remember walking around downtown dressed nicely....window shopping....and not thinking a thing about having a lot and even buying more. I still walk around downtown dressed nicely....window shopping, but now I do think about having a lot; and I don't buy more. I'm not, by any means, perfect or proclaiming that I never buy anything I don't need. That would just be a lie. What I am saying is that I am at a place in my life where I am feeling Jesus call me to serve more, do more, help more, give more, not buy more....well unless it was for a need for someone else. I weigh out and think about every single purchase I make, and that has been hard; because I have a lot of wants. I have been struggling a lot with judging people by what they have as I have become more aware of how many children are doing without. I have been praying about this and trying to remember that I don't know everyone's motives. I know there are many very wealthy people who give a lot, and there are many who give a little, and many who don't give. It's not my place to judge, and I've been praying that I won't. It has been a real struggle for me to let my daughter buy certain things that I consider to be frivelous, but that she does not. I have been struggling with what we have and how I think a lot of what we have is frivelous. I am not a frivelous person, but that doesn't mean that there aren't things I want. I've been struggling with how much more we could give if we didn't have debt to pay off. I don't proclaim to know it all, have it all figured out, or even really grasp how much we have and how much others don't. Would I sell everything and live in poverty if Jesus asked me to? I don't know. I would like to believe that I would, but honestly I don't know. I know that I am blessed to live in America. I consider it a blessing that I was born here where there is plenty to eat. I don't think "things" are blessings. I don't think God blessed me with a nice house or car, and if I was living in poverty; I wouldn't think God wanted me to watch my children die of starvation. I think it's circumstance and part of free will that began when Adam and Eve ate the apple. I do think that God can definitely change circumstance if He so chooses, but I don't think He ever changes them to cause harm. I also think that it's okay to have a nice house and some other stuff as long as they don't encompass who you are, become your goal in life, your focus, your GOD; or as long as stuff doesn't interfere with your relationship with Our King! I think being the hands and feet of Jesus doesn't necessarily mean you have to live in poverty, but I think it means you have to embrace what you have and use it to serve God by serving others and always give Him the glory. Sometimes that may mean that you have to evaluate where your head is at and realize that we have a lot, and evaluate where you are spending your money, your time, your energy. I have been feeling called to do away with a lot of what we have, so that we (my family) can focus more on HIM and what HE is calling us to do. What I'm saying is that in my walk, I am starting to understand what Jesus said in Matthew:
Matthew 22:36-39 (New International Version)
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 4
1 comment:
I was just thinking about this myself... about how I would like to redo my kitchen and build a deck in the backyard and replace my guest bedroom furniture and go travel the world and... you know how it goes. And then I thought about the amount of debt I have and what I would do if I had it all paid off. How many shopping trips would I have to give up in order to pay off my credit card? How many packages of Raman noodles would I have to eat? And do I have the self-discipline to do it?
It was all a passing thought on my way to work this morning. But I see from your post and from the things going on in the church that there's a trend here. We are starting to see that what we "need" is usually not a necessity. While there are so many others who have real, basic needs.
I don't have an answer to the dilemma of "how much is enough" - but I think it's good that we're all thinking about it.
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