A Third-World Wallet

Recently I posted on freedom and our American mind-set that being free in life means being financially stable enough to purchase whatever stuff, experience, etc that we want. Today I read a great post from a missionary in Peru about spending money. Her third-world wallet has allowed her to see the flaws in our American mindset, and I thought what she said was much more eloquent than my posting. So, here are some excerpts, but click here to read the whole thing. 

"One last thing that becomes glaringly obvious when living in a developing country is how insulated from poverty we have built the US to be. Except for a few rare places, we have created a country where the haves and the have nots do not interact. We live in different communities, go to different schools, hang out at different places, and most disheartening to me, go to different churches. We, as the haves, have made sure that we do not cross paths with the have nots and have to face what living in poverty is like. And here's what I know to be truth because I have seen it happen again and again: when you enter the lives of people living in poverty, you are changed and therefore, how you spend your money is changed. 

Watch this video about the famine in East Africa. If you are purposely avoiding news of the famine, I dare you to enter this world for just a few minutes and watch this video. Will it make you think twice about how much you need to spend on your own food tonight? I believe it will and I believe that is why we avoid the poor. It is easier to be ignorant, but if you were that parent walking miles and miles just for clean water and food for your child, would you hope for more from your fellow human beings? Can we keep turning our backs on those in desperate need because we feel entitled to certain things and it just feels too hard to give them up? When it is someone you care about starving, you will move heaven and earth to help them. So, we have made sure that we don't know those who are starving. We don't want it to be our problem and we don't want to be inconvenienced. I know that sounds harsh, but it is true."

I hope you'll watch the video. If you're looking for somewhere trustworthy to donate money to alleviate the Horn of Africa's famine, check out World Vision.  Through government grants and their reputation for bringing highly organized, efficient help, World Vision is able to take our donations and multiply them greatly. In fact, World Vision is the largest US-based international humanitarian organization, according to a recent New York Times article.  


Moral of the story? Don't feel guilty for being blessed. Take advantage of it to help others. 

  

Take advantage of our "democracy"

OK, so I can't honestly say that we live in a democracy, but that's a debate for another day. We can still at least petition our congressmen and women in the hopes that they will listen. So let's take action!


There are over 27 million slaves worldwide, the most ever in world history. The International Justice Mission is sponsoring a letter campaign to pressure congress to pass the Trafficking Victims Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) that was initially passed in 2000 and has put some pressure on America and third world countries to enforce anti-traficking laws. So, tell Congress we want it passed again! Click here to write your email to your senator. It only takes 1 minute, and, according to an awesome book I'm reading called Half the Sky, US government diplomatic pressure has proven the MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS of curbing sexual exploitation in places like America, India, Cambodia, Thailand, and China, to name a few. Let's use our super-power status for good for a change. And do what your kindergarten teacher told you makes America great: Write your senator!

Are we really free?

How many times do we consider ourselves free, here in America? How many times, in school, work, play, family, among friends, etc, do we thank God for our "freedoms?" Freedom to work, to worship, to vote, to eat, to access healthcare, to have education, to benefit from protection under the law. Do all Americans benefit from these freedoms? No, they don't. But even more, are we really free to make our own choices, or are we constantly trying to keep up in a materialistic, consumer-driven, debt-ridden society? To buy the latest fashions and bask in the compliments of friends, or even better, strangers. To find that job with the great salary so we can buy what we want, go where we want, live where we want, and be "comfortable." In America, we associate "freedom" with financial security. I constantly find myself telling Tucker, "When we have money, can we do this/buy this/go there/support this ministry/adopt..." and so on. And, he gently reminds me, "What if we don't 'have money' in the classic American sense, Erika." 

So what if this mentality is flawed? What if in our race for consumption and more materialism, we're missing the point of true freedom, freedom to take blessings or hardships from the Lord's hand and devote them to his causes. I read something the other day about a family who has adopted 10 children. This couple is in their late 50s, and they should be close to retiring, to spending money on themselves after years of working hard. (Of course I can't remember where I read this posting) But the mother wrote something that challenged me so deeply. She said, "If you're spending more on massages, lattes, vacations, fashion, furniture" etc than you are on supporting those in need, you need to reassess your priorities. Apparently, John Piper says something similar in his book Don't Waste Your Life but I haven't read it. And the icing on the cake for this thought process was during my new teacher orientation the other day where all upper school teachers sat around and tried to articulate how we can teach our students at a Christ-centered preparatory school that God's version of success differs from that of the world. It's not that being wealthy is somehow sinful, or that striving in school and work is flawed, or even that taking a family vacation means you're being a poor steward of God's resources. Instead, it's deciding to follow God and his desires for how he's blessed you rather than running after yourself and the purposes you ordain vital. In Galations 5:13-14, Paul reminded us of Christian freedom: "13For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 

What a challenge. This idea is the complete opposite goal of what society, and many Christians, live out. Imagine how we could change the world for God's kingdom if we strive to devote our resources and talents to his purposes instead of our own. The adoptive mom's blog (so sorry I can't link it in) reminded me that this doesn't just mean "tithing" faithfully or giving a little extra beyond tithe. She called tithing a "no brainer," yet unfortunately for many Christians, tithing is just too hard to wrap our brains and hearts around. 

I have no answers on how to "simply" implement this radical financial and stewardship revolution, because it's fighting against every fiber of our self-absorbed being. But I will leave you with a blog posting that I have linked here about our perceived American freedom versus the captivity of young children in Uganda. When reading about children being imprisoned, neglected, isolated, and attempting suicide as young as 10 just to end their misery, I can't help but wonder, how am I using my freedom? To pursue my own ends, or to love my fellow humans, even all the way in Africa?