"We could all just get rid of our stuff and go live there and help out. The needs are so great...we don't NEED all this stuff. We should just sell it and go."
This gauntlet was thrown by a gentleman who is currently involved in an overseas missions project and his challenge prompted me to examine my values.
Would I be able to give away or sell all my "stuff" to go and serve permanently in a poverty-stricken village? Of course, I'd like to THINK myself noble enough to sacrifice my luxurious life for the sake of the needy. But I wonder...
That choice would require leaving behind not only obvious luxuries - machines which make life simpler (washers, dryers, microwaves, vacuums, etc.), constant access to technology, a cushy bed, an abundance and variety of foods, transportation, electricity, mobility, climate-controlled buildings, healthcare, sanitation, etc. - but I suspect I'd also have to give up intangibles that matter to me - orderliness, cleanliness, routines, predictability, leisure time. All of these provide a measure of security and pleasure for me.
I asked myself which "things" of mine would be hardest to give up. What are the "essentials" in my everyday life? I immediately settled on these: books, music and writing paper. I cannot imagine living without those 3 things! I suppose that the blessings and benefits derived from a life of extreme sacrifice and service are transformative and bring a kind of heart-joy that we are often too busy and distracted to cultivate, and maybe I could learn to be content even without those 3 things. I don't know.
At this point in my life, God isn't asking me to leave everything behind and serve in this way, but He might some day. Even now, just THINKING about the possibility has required me to take stock of what matters to me...what I value...and what that reveals about the committments of my heart.
I asked my sons the same question (what stuff could you not imagine living without?) and it prompted some interesting and meaningful conversation with them. Although I recognize that the mental process is not at all the same as the practice, I think it's helpful to think it through and I encourage you to do the same thing. You may be surprised at what you discover about yourself and your children!
6 comments:
Do you usually post so early in the morning? Your question--I will think about that. Right now I want to get rid of things--2 people in a house where 6 used to live = too much stuff and not the kids stuff. I am also going through books which would be hard to part with. Lots to think about. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Joanie
Did you not go to bed last night? It was after 2:00 for me.
Good question. Ten days in Honduras is the reality check I face every year. It's difficult just living without many of the conveniences you mentioned for ten days, but you always know that this is a temporary inconvenience. After all, who couldn't do something for just ten days. Besides, like you, books would be on the top of my list, and I manage to bring along enough to get me through. So, how tough is that!
Enjoyed last night!
What's weird is that a lot of our conveniences keep us from more pleasurable things. They always say that a large boom in births occurs after particularly terrible snowstorms and power outages in the midwest. Probably because people can't watch television!
But I would really love to live somewhere where you didn't have to own everything. Think about how every house in your neighborhood has a rake, a socket set, a ladder, a hose, a wheelbarrow, a shovel, a lawnmower, a weedeater, six extension cords, .5 power washers per home, a gallon of round-up, six cans of half-used white semi-gloss paint, etc. It would be so cool to have a communal toolshed, if you could trust your neighbors to take care of things.
Joanie, I often post in the middle of the night/morning! My sleep patterns are highly irregular...for no particular reason.
Get rid of BOOKS???!!! Are you crazy? ;-)
Can you send me Erin's email address, please? I'd like to speak with her about her recent loss. Thanks.
Cindy...I did NOT go to bed until...I don't remember when!
I agree that it's not that difficult to be inconvenienced for a short period of time...even for several weeks, but the idea of permanent or very long-term sacrifice is the one that gets me.
I enjoyed last night too! Talk about the luxuries of a cushy life!! Thanks for having us.
Jon, actually your 2 points have converged for us previously. When we had one of the bad winter ice storms and subsequent power outages, our neighborhood became a community...sharing tools (generators!) and man power. I like the idea of a common toolshed simply because we might be able to park in our garage if we didn't own our own!
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