Spending: Day 7

I've had a blog post in mind the past couple of days, but I can't describe to you the chaos that has been my household this past week. Finally things are starting to wind down. So here we go...

A really sweet couple from church invited us to Olive Garden yesterday. We had every intention of paying for our meal and using the "1 Family Activity" allotment to do so, but they insisted on paying and we are extremely grateful. But when spending month is over we owe them one dinner at Red Lobster! I'm even writing it here as a reminder!


It's been interesting to realize how much we actually DO eat out during the week. We eat out a lot. Too much. I've had to struggle to FORCE myself to cook on weekdays when I much rather order out and to find something to eat on weekends when we're used to having pizza. And it's only been a week. I don't want to be the mom that calls in for take out for every meal! I am not a fabulous cook but I can cook and I need to force myself to do so, no matter what.

So anyway, I wanted this post to focus on something that really touched me within the Spending chapter of Jen Hatmaker's book. It was her "Day 8" post, and it started out like this:

"Just because I can have it doesn't mean I should."

She went on to list some of the time honored excuses used by over consumers since the beginning of time. They include but aren't limited to..."I can afford this." "I deserve this." "It's no big deal." "Other people spend way more." etc etc.

There's a lot that ties into that. And a lot of it has to do with the Church. After all, church is where we go to learn about Christ right? We live in a world where our churches resemble shopping malls, where the church lobby has a Starbucks, where the church bus has been replaced with the church jet. It's insanity. Jesus lived a life that exemplified generosity, simplicity, under consumption. And we've managed to corrupt His house with greed and overindulgence. Surprised? I'm not.

Jen Hatmaker uses these verses to illustrate her point, and I will do the same.
Luke 11:37-42

"And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

So let's discuss what just happened here. Basically Jesus went to the home of a Pharisee, one of the most self-righteous and hypocritical types of people you could ever hope to find, and sat down to dinner. Said Pharisee was offended that Jesus didn't wash up before He sat down to dinner, and boy did Jesus ever put him in his place. He explained to him that Pharisee's are all about washing the outside (cup and platter) but completely ignore the filth and corruption on the inside (keeping up appearances). They tithe, they keep meticulous records, but until they turn their pockets inside out and give to the poor, they are basically worthless. The God who made the outside also made the inside, and He wants that to be taken care of too.

Wow. So what does that mean in terms of spending? I'm thinking Jesus meant what he said when he told his disciples in Matthew 19:24 "And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. " Camel through a needle? That's pretty much impossible. To me, that means that we should probably fear PROSPERITY more than poverty. What a thought.

It seems pretty simple. If you have a lot of money, a lot of stuff, a lot of blessings....and you hold onto it all....you have too much. Plain and simple. If you aren't giving it back, if you aren't helping the lowliest of the the low, if you aren't using it to further God's promises, then you are no better than a Pharisee. And I'm speaking to myself here! Please do not for a second think that I have it CLOSE to being easy, or together, or that I volunteer in the soup kitchens every week. I don't. But I think I need to start doing SOMETHING, anything to give back. It's something that is so near and dear to God's heart. Did not God say in Luke 12:48b "...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." I don't know about you, but I know I have been given much.

And you may be thinking, "But I don't have that much at all. We live paycheck to paycheck. We aren't anywhere near rich!" Trust me, I am right there with you. By the world's standards, we are probably pretty close to pathetic. We have one car for pity's sake! Our house isn't fancy, our clothes are from clearance racks, what do we have to offer? Nothing. At least not according to the world. But according to God? Consider this paragraph in the intro to 7.

"How can I be socially responsible if unaware that I reside in the top percentage of wealth in the world? (You probably do too: Make $35,000 a year? Top 4%. $50,000? Top 1%. Excess has impaired our perspective in America: we are the richest people on earth, praying to get richer. We're tangled in unmanageable debt while feeding the machine, because we feel entitled to more. What does it communicate when half the global population lives on less than $2 a day, and we can't manage a fulfilling life on twenty-five thousand times that amount? Fifty-thousand times that amount?
It says we have too much, and it is ruining us."
We have so much. We do. We live in wealth beyond the wildest dreams of those suffering in TRUE poverty. Not the poverty we know in America where the government pays for your food and health care. Oh no. We're talking the poverty where you eat a handful of rice a day. Work from sun up to sun down and only make enough to buy another handful of rice for tomorrow. Live in a shack with 12 family members who each need to eat too. Have your child work from the time he is old enough to walk and talk. THAT is poverty. That is something that is very real. Something we know nothing about.

And please don't think I'm writing this to guilt you into hopping on the next plane to Africa to feed the orphans. If you feel so led, than good for you. I know that there's a lot I have to get in order in my own life before I could even HOPE to follow you. The point I'm trying to make here is that God gave us SO much. So much. And we squander most of it while most people in the world live with nothing. Truly, we are no better than Pharisees who worry about our outside appearances and care nothing for the greed in our own hearts. Jesus lived a simple life. He hung out with the lowliest people in society. He gave everything He had. Aren't we supposed to be like Christ? It's not just about obeying the ten commandments and going to church on Sunday. It's about being CHRIST LIKE. Walking His walk and talking His talk. We won't ever be perfect at it. But shouldn't we at least try?

This is spending month. Not only do I have to deal with the fact that I waste so much money, but also the fact that I hoard it as well.

"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..."