Why I'm so passionate

My last post was a passionate rant, so I wanted to add further explanation.

I'm so frustrated with the level of materialism in this country because I've seen, through another's eyes, what life is like for those in other countries. A couple years ago, we got to know one of our church-supported missionaries very well. She felt a calling to minister in Afghanistan...of all places. Right away, I'm in awe. Here is a young, beautiful, smart, dedicated, blonde-haired American willing to aid and teach others in a country that most of us fear. She was there for about 3 or 4 years and became close with one Afghan family; she essentially became an adopted member of that family. When she married, her dear friend (and mother of this family) came to the states for a month to be a part of the ceremony.

When we first met this missionary, she came to one of our small group meetings to talk about Afghanistan and about her daily life. After that night, I felt compelled to thank her not only for being a missionary in such a dangerous place but also for helping me overcome my struggle with materialism. Hearing about what life is like for the Afghan people makes me thank God every single day that my family has it so much better. They don't have a lot of extras; in fact, they don't have a lot of, what we would refer to as, essentials. For example, electricity is not consistant. Watching television or simply refrigerating food is a luxury to them. The warmer months can reach over 100 degrees, but they have no a/c. So sleeping outside is common, and most of their morning involves packing up the bedding until the next night. The colder months can get down to freezing, which means everyone has to huddle up near a central fire to stay warm. They have to go to the market every day. Decent medical care is not freely available. The average size of their homes is half that of ours (ours is 1100 sqft), and 10-15 people live in that tiny space.

I could go on, but I think I've made my point. In this country, we believe that we deserve whatever we want because we work hard. I would argue that, on average, Afghans work much, much harder, and they have much, much less. This is a common story for millions around the world. The poorest in this country are still better off than the poorest in the world. If you don't believe me, check out statistics published by worldwide organizations like the U.N. or similar.

Materialism still sneaks into my thoughts. There are many things I would like to have; the list is endless on some days. And sometimes I struggle with jealousy over the stuff that others have - things my family may never be able to afford. But I would encourage anyone to do what I do. When I struggle with those feelings of materialism and jealousy, I think about the Afghan family that our missionary lived with. I met the mother of this family and her infant son while they were here. She was so nice, and her beautiful little boy is not unlike any other little boy with big puppy-dog brown eyes. I think about whether they had a good day or a bad day. Did they have enough to eat? Are the children healthy? Did they have to worry about violence in their town?

If all I have to worry about is whether to eat steak or ground beef, then it's a damned good day. Those of us lucky enough to live in this country need to remember that what we possess is not nearly as important as the liberties and freedoms we enjoy. We take for granted that everyone around the world has the same stuff, liberties and freedoms that we have. They don't. One fact I found amazing was that our missionary friend did not know how many people resided in the area of Afghanistan she was located. Why? Because they don't conduct a census there. Duh, that's an American thing.

Maybe instead of spending finite hours working hard to accumulate more and more stuff...and with that, more and more debt....we should be focused on the quality of our lives, the quality of our families, the quality of our marriages, the quality of our relationships and the quality of our souls. I don't think I've ever heard someone on their deathbed claim that they should've bought more stuff or should've spent more time at work.