Who doesn’t love to start their week off reading about sacrificial giving? The answer is me. It seems like no matter how good I feel like I’m doing in the area of giving, there is always a way to be challenged more. Even though we give regularly to different things, it just seems like there’s always more we could do.
But I’ve found something about myself I don’t care for very much. Part of me wants to have nice things. They’re just things, but I want them, and I kind of want them new and expensive. Some days, when I’m driving my beat down boat of a car, I find myself wishing I had a nicer, newer car. For the most part, the Saturn runs fine, and drives fine, but I’ve been driving that thing for eight years and I want a new toy.
Contrast that to the last year of my life where I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to both Fiji and Spain, sacrifice my time, my family, my money, and I feel a bit dualistic. I really want nice things, and new things; but I REALLY want to travel all over the world telling people about Jesus. I REALLY REALLY want to be able to have Amanda, and eventually the kids join me on trips. I’m passionate about Speed the Light (an organization that provides vehicles and equipment for missionaries) after riding around in a STL vehicle for days in Spain.
I have to choose. I really can’t have all the nice things, AND give the way I want to give. I simply don’t make enough, and don’t care that I don’t. Our family is provided for, we have a little extra, and we live well compared to the rest of the world. So part of living dead is killing off these wants for stuff. If I can’t take it with me, and if it’s eventually going to rust out and break down here, why do we feel like we need things? I instead can invest in STL, or other projects all over the world, and get a return on my investment 100 fold with eternity in mind. That sounds like a better investment than buying a new car, or new clothes that will just depreciate.
My goal for 2012: Give more personally than ever before; then repeat that goal every year, until I die 🙂
Love it!! After tomorrow, we will have a new record to set:)