Having Lost Our Way…
Money was supposed to be the answer.
Having more money meant that we could consume more. More consumption meant more satisfying of our needs and wants. More satisfaction meant more contentment.
Or so we thought.
Turns out the whole thing was an illusion. Like an itch that gets worse the more you scratch at it, increased consumption led to less satisfaction and contentment.
The more we got the more we wanted.
Surprisingly consuming isn’t the answer to our emptiness. Contributing is.
We live in a world that tells us that consumption will satisfy our cravings. It challenges us to buy more and more stuff. I want to be a part of a movement that challenges this thinking. A movement that throws a brick through the glass of the status quo. A movement of consumers turned contributors, who have found joy in generosity, who understand that more consumption does not equal more happiness.
As I travel the world I find that more and more people joining this movement. This blog is an attempt to share my journey while connecting to those who care about turning consumers into contributors.
This is a place to share your journey, or tell the story of someone you helped. Share your thoughts, plans, tools and strategies you are using to rescue those in bondage to consumerism.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 1:53 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS Feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
i agree 100 percent
I so agree and also want to be part of a movement, “to live more simply, so others can simply live.” After returning from Haiti with our granddaughter (a mission trip to a 3rd world country is our high school graduation gift to our grandchildren to get this) I was overwhelemed with all our stuff. Too much of my time has been spent on taking care of “stuff” – fixing it, organizing it, cleaning it and replacing it.
For the past two years, we have looked for opportunities to bless others with things that we have accumulated when they have a need. We still have a long way to go – but we are headed in the right direction. Praise God for his push to really determine if it is a need or a want before purchasing.
Keep up the great work! Someday would love to train with Ignite in Gahana , Nicaragua or Uganda.
Good stuff Jenny. I’m excited to be a part of a community that does just that. We need to better connect our sacrifices and stewardship with the needs of others. I will be excited to hear about your future work in Africa or Central America.
I bought a friend lunch today and shared some biblical principles regarding finances. Thanks for your insight.
It is very true…
Love in Old English translate as ‘charity’
To Love live is to Give life and help other live the live God’s mean them to be.
Strange today the meaning of Love it mean more as: receive, take it, self centered-ness…instead of volunteer, giving away, focus on others…
We will have life: Love(Charity) others as we love ourselves not the other way around…
Thank you for your insight Matt.
Great point, Harjono. It’s cool how God allows us to express what is happening internally/spiritually inside of us through external charitable actions to those around us.