By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)
I am guilty! I admit it! It is just so easy to get caught up in the materialism of this world. I don't have the latest 4-G phone but the one I have is not shabby. I don't have a 54" plasma television but I do have a 28" high def version. My lap top may not be the best available right now but two years ago it was one of the better ones. Even recently when my step-daughter turned eighteen we new we had to get her something special. The problem is she has almost everything you could want. The other side of the family is not Christian and they have made sure that she wants for nothing. We ended up getting her an iPad. She has a laptop, an iPod touch and and iPhone....did she really need an iPad? We so easily get caught up in the trap. We see something and we want it. The Joneses next door get the next latest and greatest thing and we begin to wonder how we can do without it.
I have been to Mexico, the Dominican and Honduras. I have seen poverty and I have had my heart broken. In fact at one point I felt so convicted that we ended up downsizing from a four bedroom colonial to a more modest split foyer. I have come back from those trips feeling so changed. I see families of seven people living in a home the size of my family room. I have seen four adults sharing a bed. I have seen these people cooking over an open flame and I worry how long it will take to cook my dinner in the microwave. We have it so good and yet it is never enough. Going on those trips is an eye opener and always serves to humble me. I return and my heart is changed but sadly it does not last. I really wish there was a pill I could take that would transport me back to those places and keep my heart changed. Over the weeks the memory dims and over the months I begin to slip easily back into my ways. I have pictures and reminders in my home of those trips to help me yet somehow the world begins to creep back in. As an advocate for Compassion I can quote facts and figures. I can tell you Bible verses where Jesus speaks about how we should treat widows, orphans and care for the least of these. I know the truth and yet I am guilty of the very thing I try to turn people from. Sadly I think it is just so ingrained in us from the time we are born. I know it is one of the greatest tools that Satan has to use against us. Our culture is simply about materialism and trying to keep up with the Joneses.
I would like you to visit Who Are The Joneses. Take the time to follow the prompts and do the reading. It isn't deep or involved...I promise. Then take the time to pray and think about your circumstances. At the end where it asks for your comments I would rather you come back here and leave your comments. Perhaps together we can ease our guilt and begin to make a difference together. If you would specifically like to perhaps make a difference by sponsoring a child or some other means feel free to contact me.
I leave you with this final thought. Even working full time for minimum wage puts us in the top 20% of the richest people in the world. Won't you begin to make a difference??
Chuck is a Christian husband and father who has served in part-time ministry for 17 years, and is a deacon at his church. He has been a Compassion International Advocate/Area Coordinator for several years, finding families to sponsor Compassion children throughout the world. His passion is letting others know how important it is to release children from poverty. Be sure to check out his blog, Sharing Compassion.