Comfort...
Posted by Amanda , Saturday, February 20, 2010 2:20 PM
As I was browsing through Relevant’s Reject Apathy magazine this week, I came across an article about a man doing “Apartment ministry.” I thought it sounded kind of interesting so I checked it out. Basically, the article is about a middle-class man who works with kids in low-income apartments. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says in the article, but it actually really hit home with me. One of the things the man talked about in this article was his struggle between living his comfortable life and working with the poor.
Something I have constantly struggled with is this very issue. Growing up, we were never rich. Money was tight sometimes, but my parents really provided for my brother and I. We had a great childhood, a wonderful house and enough food to fill our tummies. If I were living in Indiana right now, I would have a job, a car and would probably be working towards a degree in University. I have all of those things at my fingertips, yet I’m living in San Jose, Costa Rica, sharing a dorm with five other girls and working with kids at risk.
Still…I struggle so much. I work with kids that have NOTHING. Even though I live in a community and don’t have all the comforts of home, I still have 3 meals a day, a comfortable bed, a computer and a nice living area. How is that fair? How is it fair that so many are living on less than $1 a day, but I can still lead a comfortable life and don’t even think about it or give thanks for it every day? We leave the base, hang out with these poor kids for a couple hours and then drive back to our nice, comfortable home. To me, this seems wrong, but I don’t know why. I can’t seem to justify anything in my head.
God called his disciples to go spread the Gospel and not take anything with them. They lived in poverty, they were rejected, and they were thrown in jail. Basically, they weren’t comfortable. Jesus wasn’t comfortable. He was even homeless. Should I live like that? By faith, following Jesus, without my comforts but trusting Him to take care of me. It would seem a lot easier to minister to the poor if I were one of them. But what does that look like? Like I said, it’s a constant struggle in my mind. Any thoughts?
I feel like as Christians and as missionaries, this is something we should take the time to think and pray about. We need to ask God if our “comfort” is getting in the way of our purpose. We need to pray for the poor and those that are living in conditions where they don’t have the chance to live a good, easy life. We need to pray for those who are working with the poor and working for justice, that they will have the grace to understand and empathize with those they are working with. Lastly, we need to be thankful, every day, for what we have been given.
If you'd like to check out the article, here's the link: Apartment Ministry
Something from Rich's biography that speaks to this issue. I don't have the book with me (I gave it to someone and I don't remember who or when), so this is from memory.
When Rich was in college, he was very poor. He used to line his sandwiches with saltine crackers to make them more filling. And he would go to pizza parlors and eat leftovers when people left their tables. As he was starting his first band (it had some really lame 80s name that I can't remember), his uncle told him, "You're so proud of being poor. If you really loved the poor, you would make a fortune and then spend it on them." This really hit home with Rich because he respected his uncle.
Later, he struck a balance. Obviously, he did become wealthy from the music industry, but his life's possessions fit into a space about as big as a your old room back home. He gave all his money away and chose to live "simply." But on occasion, he recognized it was ok to buy expensive things. He bought a very nice cello at one point (this, again, is what I remember). But he did still prefer to play concerts in jeans, barefoot, and a shirt or sweater.
I think you'll find an answer that makes sense to you, whether it is renunciation of some sort or a balance between renunciation and consumerism or something else entirely. Keep searching. Just thought I'd share a perspective that helped me.
Love,
Your bubby