Deceived

I Timothy 6:17-19: “Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life.”

I have been decieved. For the past 3 years, and beyond, I did not put myself in this group of "those who are rich" that Timothy is talking about. How could I? First, I was a college student with no job, then I became a teacher and Reagan started Optometry School. We own a house (meaning we pay a mortgage), we have 3 going on 4 years of student loan debt (yikes!), and we have a child...all on my teacher's salary. By America's standard my family is not "rich".

But I do not want to live by America's standard. America's standard is false and decieving. The more I read into orphan advocacy the more my eyes are opened to the poverty of this world. For example, in Ethiopia, almost 82% of the people live on less than $2/day (the indicated poverty line), and more than half live on less than $1/day. We may have debtedness, but we also have a means in the future in which to pay off our loans in a responsible and timely manner. When I take a step back and re-evaluate, my family is DEFINITELY in the "those who are rich" category.

What does this mean? We are not asked, but demanded to GIVE IT AWAY. "Our" money is not ours, but God's. Luke 12:48: “Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.” God has given us much. He has blessed us by providing for all of our needs, and let's face it, most of our wants. So, now it is time to give up some of these "wants". Reagan and I talked about this last night and we struggle with what we are called to give on a daily basis. What do I give up? What is "God's" and what has he given us for us? I am not sure. But after some praying, I know where I am going to start. So here it is...

1. No more Starbucks (unless it is a giftcard because I can't really turn that into cash! :)) PS-God has already been so amazing to me for this decision because I get to school today to find a belated birthday gift of a $10 Starbucks card! YAY!! Thank you God, and Valencia!!

2. No more Friday lunches out. Some co-workers and I always treat ourselves to lunch out on Fridays. From now on, I will pack my lunch.

What does this do? I plan on looking at the past month of our bank account and calculating what I spent on Starbucks and my Friday lunches. That money will then go to fund a well project that I am in the works of developing. There are nearly one billion people right now without access to clean water. I have found an organization that takes 100% of its proceeds and builds wells for impoverished communities.

It may seem small now, but I am hoping it is only the beginning. Baby steps...

Stay tuned for a post about this well project, and maybe think about what "wants" you could give up to help bring life to people through clean drinking water.

-Kacey