So I hauled a few bags and a super heavy item up about 900 stairs. I swear that building is so old that it doesn't have an elevator. And as I was bringing the items up, I was reminded of something I read last night. I am almost through the book Christmas is Not Your Birthday, which means I will only quote it a few more times before I move on to the next book, then you will get to read about that book.
Mike Slaughter wrote, "At Christmas, we celebrate a messiah, a deliverer, who was born to die. So, we too are called to give ourselves sacrificially with Christ for the world that God loves. More of him and less of us. More for him and less for us. Such sacrifice is paradoxical because the more of ourselves that we give away, the more abundant our faith and our contentment will be with what we have. In our culture of consumption, this is a countercultural way to live. Living on less when we could have more and giving away more when it means having less is a frightening proposition to many. It is not easy, and there will be naysayers, but this sacrifice is what Jesus truly desires of those who would follow him."
What is interesting is that Mike is a pastor and also challenged his congregation to donate money to a certain organization equal to that which they spent on Christmas gifts that year. So if I spent say $500 on gifts for everybody on my list, then I would also give away $50o to help the poor.
And I wonder what that would do to our spending habits. Would we be inclined to spend just as much, knowing that we had to match that to bless others with. Or would our spending on gifts decrease so that we would be able to give more away.
What if we take it one step further and say that any money spent should be matched and given away. If it takes $200 a week to feed and clothe my family of 6, then I could donate that same amount to provide rice and clean drinking water to a family in a third world country. Honestly, it would pry provide enough for a month.
It is a little scary to think about, and I am not saying that it is right for everybody. In fact, my man and I have yet to discuss the idea, but I think it's a great seed to plant.
How could I live with less? What does that look like? For me, I think I have realized over the last 6 weeks that we can live with a lot less clothes. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, there hasn't been one single day over the last 6 weeks that I or my kids have gone anywhere naked.
You are welcome for that.
In fact, do I dare say that I have enjoyed the challenge of coming up with "new outfits" in my own closet. I told my man that it is all about the layers, and it also works in my favor that the "in thing" right now isn't to be quite so matchy-matchy, so my orange scarf with my navy sweater actually makes me look a little trendy instead of dumpy.
So I can obviously do with less in terms of clothes, but what else...less channels on our television perhaps, less toys in the basement maybe, less iPods certainly, less for me and more for Him definitely.
I feel like God is calling me to less. That perhaps after my fast is over I will shop for a new item or two, but instead of filling my closet with more, He wants to see what I can do with less. And that feels like a challenge that I will only be able to conquer with His help.
I am reminded of the verse where Jesus talks about seeing the hungry, but not feeding them, seeing the naked, but not clothing them.
Last year my husband and I took a trip to the Dominican Republic with some friends of ours and my eyes were opened to what the hungry and naked of this world look like.
We stayed in an fabulous all-inclusive resort, where we were left wanting for nothing. And on a day-trip out to zip-line we drove out of our lavish resort and through some very poor areas.
At one point I looked over and saw a half-naked child about the same age as my third child, and my heart broke. Here we were having the time of our lives, with nothing to care about except what cute outfit I would wear to dinner in an extravagant restaurant.
And this boy didn't even have pants to wear.
And he more than likely didn't have a kitchen full of food choices either.
My first thought was to pack him in my suitcase and take him home, but my man wasn't on board with that. So we just drove past.
And I think about that boy every so often wondering what his life is like and what the future looks like for him. And mostly wondering how in the world God chose to bless me with food, clothing, and shelter, and not him.
I have said it before, and I will say it again, as it is my go-to quote right now...I am blessed to be a blessing...
Please note that we had so much fun on our trip to the DR, and I truly believe that God allowed us to take that trip so that my eyes would be opened. He had to get my attention somehow, and he knew that wasn't going to happen sitting on my computer in my living room shopping on-line.
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