The Problem With Lacking
The problem with lacking is that we don't lack the non-important things and we do lack the important ones.
This is basically a follow-up post to "What Lack I Yet?" because I still have a lot to say on the subject! After all, I have spent the past, oh, almost two weeks since I got back from a mission trip to Guatemala going through my room for a yardsale that my friends and I will be having in March. So yes, I currently have a growing pile of stuff in my room, all of which I am so excited to see go. Forever. And I still keep combing through my room because I want that pile to be so much larger. And even though I've cleared out enough that I can get rid of one of my bookcases, I still look around at my room and feel my insides being squeezed and I feel like I can't look anymore.
Sometimes it's hard for me to live in America. Because what I feel when I look at my room I feel when I work and have to dump plates full of food into the trash just because people at a buffet think only of themselves and not the hungry eyes of little children that I saw. I feel it when I look at department store flyers. I feel it a lot.
It's been coming more and more clear to me how materialistic America is; and not only "America," but so many Christians in America! What about all of Jesus' teachings? What about how the early church in Acts "had all things common" and sold all of their possessions? [There will be a later post on the early church in Acts.] And please, as you read, remember that I am learning this all, too, and trying to figure out how to live out what the Bible says on the subject. It is not an easy change when we have all been brought up differently.
We can all agree with Ecclesiastes 5:10 pretty easily. "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity." We know that stuff will not make us happy...and yet I find that subconsciously, I think that even Christians sometimes think that it will. In Luke 12:15, then, we are warned against coveting. "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man't life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Our life is not the stuff we possess!! Our life is Jesus Christ!
One of my favorite books is The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne (see citation below). I cannot do it justice by a summary, and I highly suggest you read it. On page 133 he writes, "I read a study comparing the health of a society with its economics, and one of the things it revealed is that wealthy countries like ours have the highest rates of depression, suicide, and loneliness. We are the richest and most miserable people in the world." There you have it. Stuff does not make us happy, it is not a satisfying life. So why can't we all grasp this? And I ask this question not only to you, but to myself, as well.
1 Timothy 6:10 is something that every church hears quoted numerous times from the pulpit. "For the love of money is the root of all evil." It most certainly is! And then there is Matthew 6:24: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." And yet, in almost unconscious ways, I think we still try and serve both. The question is, which wins out in your life?
Another one of my favorite books is Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis (now Majors, see citation below). An incredible story of a girl fresh out of high school who moved to Uganda to change lives one at a time with the love of Jesus Christ, Katie's story is a real encouragement to me, that if she can do what God has inspired a dream within her to do, than so can I. She writes, "I hadn't realized what a transformation had taken place while I had been in Uganda, the spiritual richness I had experienced in material poverty and the spiritual poverty I felt now in a land of material wealth," (Davis 85).
I have been to Guatemala on mission trips twice now, and though I'm sure the poverty is not the same level, perhaps, as in Uganda, I can strongly relate to her observation. When we do not have material wealth to clutter our time and our minds, true spiritual richness emerges and it is nearly impossible to not be frustrated with having to return back to material wealth....especially because it is difficult not to end up with spiritual poverty. So, I am determined to change that as best I can while in America.
One of the worst things about living here and seeing the material wealth once you've seen poverty is to think about verses like 1 John 3:17: "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" Just seeing all that I have makes me feel sick sometimes, and I begin to plan already the amount of money and gifts I want to give back to those who I have seen have need.
This quote is incredibly true. "I once heard the saying, 'God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.' In my suburban comfort, I increasingly felt disturbed by God. I became very uncomfortable in the comfortable suburbs," (Claiborne 107). I feel that disturbance! I am uncomfortable living in America many times a day. It just doesn't feel right anymore.
America has so much (and so does the whole combination of all first world countries), and I can tell you that God did not make a world without enough for everyone! "I truly believe that when the poor meet the rich, riches will have no meaning. And when the rich meet the poor, we will see poverty come to an end" (Claiborne 114). I totally agree!
After all, why do we use all of that wealth for nonsense when it could be keeping our brothers and sisters across borders alive? It's not as if we need more stuff! Matthew 6:19-21 reminds us to "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal" but to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
"Rather than accumulating stuff for oneself, followers of Jesus abandon everything, trusting in God alone for providence" (Claiborne 104). More and more lately I feel like my life is not exhibiting me as a follower of Jesus, because what have I all abandoned? Certainly not the everything that I was called to! How will our faith grow if we don't give God opportunities where we trust him and allow him to prove himself to us?
My parting thought (for now, at least!) on the subject is to "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). Amen, and may you allow God to work in your heart and life as you consider these heartfelt words.
WORKS CITED:
Davis, Katie. Kisses from Katie. New York: Howard Books, 2011. Print.
Claiborne, Shane. The Irresistible Revolution. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Print.
Also, photo credti! The picture above was taken by my friend Miranda when we were in Guatemala.
This is basically a follow-up post to "What Lack I Yet?" because I still have a lot to say on the subject! After all, I have spent the past, oh, almost two weeks since I got back from a mission trip to Guatemala going through my room for a yardsale that my friends and I will be having in March. So yes, I currently have a growing pile of stuff in my room, all of which I am so excited to see go. Forever. And I still keep combing through my room because I want that pile to be so much larger. And even though I've cleared out enough that I can get rid of one of my bookcases, I still look around at my room and feel my insides being squeezed and I feel like I can't look anymore.
Sometimes it's hard for me to live in America. Because what I feel when I look at my room I feel when I work and have to dump plates full of food into the trash just because people at a buffet think only of themselves and not the hungry eyes of little children that I saw. I feel it when I look at department store flyers. I feel it a lot.
It's been coming more and more clear to me how materialistic America is; and not only "America," but so many Christians in America! What about all of Jesus' teachings? What about how the early church in Acts "had all things common" and sold all of their possessions? [There will be a later post on the early church in Acts.] And please, as you read, remember that I am learning this all, too, and trying to figure out how to live out what the Bible says on the subject. It is not an easy change when we have all been brought up differently.
We can all agree with Ecclesiastes 5:10 pretty easily. "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity." We know that stuff will not make us happy...and yet I find that subconsciously, I think that even Christians sometimes think that it will. In Luke 12:15, then, we are warned against coveting. "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man't life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Our life is not the stuff we possess!! Our life is Jesus Christ!
One of my favorite books is The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne (see citation below). I cannot do it justice by a summary, and I highly suggest you read it. On page 133 he writes, "I read a study comparing the health of a society with its economics, and one of the things it revealed is that wealthy countries like ours have the highest rates of depression, suicide, and loneliness. We are the richest and most miserable people in the world." There you have it. Stuff does not make us happy, it is not a satisfying life. So why can't we all grasp this? And I ask this question not only to you, but to myself, as well.
1 Timothy 6:10 is something that every church hears quoted numerous times from the pulpit. "For the love of money is the root of all evil." It most certainly is! And then there is Matthew 6:24: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." And yet, in almost unconscious ways, I think we still try and serve both. The question is, which wins out in your life?
Another one of my favorite books is Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis (now Majors, see citation below). An incredible story of a girl fresh out of high school who moved to Uganda to change lives one at a time with the love of Jesus Christ, Katie's story is a real encouragement to me, that if she can do what God has inspired a dream within her to do, than so can I. She writes, "I hadn't realized what a transformation had taken place while I had been in Uganda, the spiritual richness I had experienced in material poverty and the spiritual poverty I felt now in a land of material wealth," (Davis 85).
I have been to Guatemala on mission trips twice now, and though I'm sure the poverty is not the same level, perhaps, as in Uganda, I can strongly relate to her observation. When we do not have material wealth to clutter our time and our minds, true spiritual richness emerges and it is nearly impossible to not be frustrated with having to return back to material wealth....especially because it is difficult not to end up with spiritual poverty. So, I am determined to change that as best I can while in America.
One of the worst things about living here and seeing the material wealth once you've seen poverty is to think about verses like 1 John 3:17: "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" Just seeing all that I have makes me feel sick sometimes, and I begin to plan already the amount of money and gifts I want to give back to those who I have seen have need.
This quote is incredibly true. "I once heard the saying, 'God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.' In my suburban comfort, I increasingly felt disturbed by God. I became very uncomfortable in the comfortable suburbs," (Claiborne 107). I feel that disturbance! I am uncomfortable living in America many times a day. It just doesn't feel right anymore.
America has so much (and so does the whole combination of all first world countries), and I can tell you that God did not make a world without enough for everyone! "I truly believe that when the poor meet the rich, riches will have no meaning. And when the rich meet the poor, we will see poverty come to an end" (Claiborne 114). I totally agree!
After all, why do we use all of that wealth for nonsense when it could be keeping our brothers and sisters across borders alive? It's not as if we need more stuff! Matthew 6:19-21 reminds us to "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal" but to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
"Rather than accumulating stuff for oneself, followers of Jesus abandon everything, trusting in God alone for providence" (Claiborne 104). More and more lately I feel like my life is not exhibiting me as a follower of Jesus, because what have I all abandoned? Certainly not the everything that I was called to! How will our faith grow if we don't give God opportunities where we trust him and allow him to prove himself to us?
My parting thought (for now, at least!) on the subject is to "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). Amen, and may you allow God to work in your heart and life as you consider these heartfelt words.
WORKS CITED:
Davis, Katie. Kisses from Katie. New York: Howard Books, 2011. Print.
Claiborne, Shane. The Irresistible Revolution. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Print.
Also, photo credti! The picture above was taken by my friend Miranda when we were in Guatemala.
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