"We are ... as having nothing, and yet possess evrything." - from 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Dave Schrock-Shenk begins his reflection for today recalling conversations with a friend who had spent significant time in voluntary service overseas following seminary. They shared memories of getting by with very limited financial resources and an absolute minimum of possessions. The friend recalled, "our years in voluntary service and then at the seminary were the best years of our lives ... at seminary none of the students had money. We scraped by on odd jobs... We didn't have nearly as many things...But we and our children remember those as the best years of our lives."
Dave was puzzled by the friend's response when asked if she would venture into an experiment to return to those days of living on much less. With intensity she replied, "I wouldn't even consider 'trying enough' now," she declared. "The years after we came home were the most painful years of our lives. Our friends and people at church were building large houses, driving new cars, and going on exotic vacations. There was no support for our desire to live simply. We ended up feeling out of it, like oddballs. I will never go through that again."
Questions for Today
Do my closest friends nurture my deepest commitments?
Are my spending and accumulating practices the result of pressure to keep up?
What messages about material goods do I get from my church or faith community?
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