I'm convinced that we, collectively, have a severe case of ADD. Think about it. It is often difficult for us to settle down and focus on one thing at a time. We are constantly pursuing bigger and better things driven by the pursuit of wealth and prosperity, an idea ingrained in us by the so-called American Dream. This is not just limited to the richest 1% ether. For those of us at the lower end of the prosperity spectrum, i.e. part of the middle class or lower, we often find ourselves wanting to move up to the first car on the money train even though we are already richer than the majority of people in the world and we have the skills or means to learn the skills that are necessary to improve our conditions. Unfortunately it's often difficult to see this process in motion and contain it when we are in its midst. It usually takes removing ourselves from this type of environment to realize how much we really have. Over the course of this week I have been reminded of this fact. As I celebrated Thanksgiving today with, what have become, 5 of my closest friends at a small wood fire-warmed house in post-Communist Moldova, a nation that many of you have probably never heard of, I began to realize just how much I have to be thankful for and how much time I spend worrying about the next great pursuit in my life. I've spent the last several months in the third world and it didn't hit me until now. Slowly I'm realizing how much of what I miss about not being in the United States is related to comfort and prosperity and the pursuit of those things. It's almost as if I enjoy the stress sometimes! From hand washing my clothes to warming my house by fire to sleeping in a hammock surrounded by a bug net, life on The World Race has taught me to be thankful for the comforts of home without being consumed by them. It has taught me to use these blessings to bless others and show them that the God who has given me so much also wants to give these same blessings to anyone who will call on his name and follow him. There is nothing inherently wrong with being comfortable or prosperous but for many people it is these comforts that prevent them from fully committing, either through giving or going, to the work that God is doing in the world. To be honest, I don't want to be one of these people. I love having computers and cars for my personal use and enjoyment just as much as the next person but if God were to tell me to get rid of all of that I want to be able to do it in an instant. I want my life to consumed by the spiritual, not the material. I know it's cliche but it's true, we can't take the material with us into the eternal. With that in mind, what are you holding on to? What are the things that hinder you from fully experiencing who God is?
