5/13/12
God has been walking me through a process for a while now. When I left America I knew I would be experiencing poverty and conditions that I could not fathom without seeing with my own eyes.
Two months ago as I was telling a simple story about life at home to a dear friend the response on the other end was a little chuckle and the statement, “You are such a rich kid.” My immediate response I fired back was that everyone in America is rich. Try to compare people in America with those in other countries and Americans truly are rich. I firmly stand by that statement.
Ever since that comment was made it has become a big joke between me and that dear friend. My mind a lot of times goes back to how blessed my life has been.
And then there was two weeks ago as I sat in a house with a man bound to a wheelchair who rarely gets out of his one room apartment and never has visitors. He began to talk about the government and such things that were way over my head. Yes, the conversation was over my head but that didn’t matter because I could still understand the humility and thankfulness to God in his voice. This man had been stripped of everything in his life including his family, his home, his job and his ability to do anything for himself. As I listened to him speak I wrote down a few words real quick:
Selfish
Rich
Abundance
Fortunate
Skewed perception of money
In that moment I knew so much was wrong with Americans and their mentality.
The mentality of being selfish with our time and possessions because we think they are ours.
The mentality of being rich and having an abundance compared to the rest of the world yet believing we have nothing.
The mentality that money isn’t a big deal, just spend it.
I thought God had shown me enough about my American mentality. I thought I fully understood how blessed I was and how much God had provided for me.
But I also realize that when I think I have something figured out on my own God just continues to pour on more and more.
So I sat in a session at debrief. I had no clue what we were about to discuss. I was just told to think of something I wanted for myself but passionately pray for someone else to receive it. So I prayed. And then the talk began.
Poverty mentality vs abundance mentality
Living selfishly and looking out for my own needs vs putting others before me in everything even if it cost me
Where am I choosing to live?
Do I choose to put others before me in every aspect of my life?
Do I trust that if I give my bottle of water to someone that God will provide water for me?
Is my mentality one of selfishness?
Or do I know that God has blessed me with more than enough?
Do I know that I am living in abundance so I am going to choose to bless others?
This process is a messy one.
It all started with a loving comment on being rich.
Then God continued to throw it at me with a man who was as content as anyone while he lived in a one room apartment that he rarely left.
And still he poured it on me by showing me I should choose a mentality of abundance over poverty.
Because when I choose that mentality of poverty I am killing myself relationally and spiritually.
I want to be the person who gives up their jar of peanut butter.
I want to be the person who lets someone use their iPOD even when the power is off and I can’t charge it to use for myself later.
Now it’s time for you to be honest with yourself.
How are you choosing to live?
Are you sacrificing things for yourself in order to put others before you?
Is it costing you for the sake of others?
It should be!
