As I have mentioned a few times recently, I have been really thinking about how God is calling me to live with my stuff. I frequently battle discontent with my house. It's not my dream home by any stretch of the imagination. I married into the house, and it's not a layout I desire. With two young kids, the fact the garage isn't attached and the there is no mudroom or even a good entry way is a hassle and a pain. The location is perfect for our family right now, but I dream of my boys running wild in the open spaces of a home in the country. A couple people I know have sold their houses very quickly recently and it has once again given me the bug/raised my discontent. And then...
Waiting for me in the mail yesterday was the magazine Compassion International sends to those who support kids around the world. On the cover, the article title "Rescued from Wealth p. 22." Despite the cute boy on the cover and an article about vulnerable children that I also read very soon after receiving it, I turned first to page 22. I knew what I would find and I knew I needed to read it. And there it was. Following a brief account of her trip with Compassion to Kenya, the subject of the article noted she "could no longer look at life the same way...[with her husband gung-ho, they] sold their house and moved to a more modest neighborhood." She goes on to be quoted, "I had a redeeming experience. I felt rescued from my wealth and the American life."
Ooooh, I so need to hear that. Probably every day. And boy, do I need to be rescued. My home is just fine. It's not too big to clean (occasionally) with 2 young boys in tow. It's warm and dry. We each have our own rooms, we have indoor plumbing, heat and air conditioning. Our neighborhood is safe, pretty and full of parks. We have clothes to wear, healthy food to eat (and plenty of junk food, too). If only everyone could be so lucky! So why do I bounce towards discontent so often?
Honestly, most of the time I live with a "less is best" mentality (though my closets don't agree). But every once in awhile, I'll read something, see something, talk with someone and I feel that twinge of envy that ______ is missing from my life or not as nice as ________'s. I wish it was easier and more practical to cut all ties to material wealth. I can't do that, so I'm hoping for some kind of balance and a way to leave behind the pull of "bigger, better, newer" in my life.
And then, a friend posts this article today and I'm convicted to go deeper again. I mean, seriously, those of us who claim to follow Christ and live according to the Scriptures, we should be leading the way on this, right? And who enjoys stepping on Legos (toy trucks, baby doll accessories) every day, climbing into the closet to find that one shirt buried somewhere, or spending a Saturday cleaning the house? Jesus said the last will be first. He told us to love the least of these. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He said it will be harder for the rich to enter heaven than to walk through the eye of a needle. Jesus told us to store up our treasures in heaven. So why do I even struggle with wanting more?
I'm praying I can be rescued from wealth.
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