A friend wrote me
Well, In the day of my birthday (December 09), I got this email from a friend who I had the opportunity to minister in Florida. She granted me permission to share with you.
Please drop me some lines to my email. I would appreciate your reactions. Please, please feel free to contact her as well.
Demos
....Check this out...
What I wrote in response to a friend who is doing the Lord’s work in very humble conditions. A brief description of my friend who is doing the Lord's work in Peru . For example, he writes articles for a newspaper and doesn’t get paid for them: he gets free copies of the paper (whoptee doo!); He is alone and often feels lonely; He does not have a TV or even a radio and nothing to even play music on EVER – we can only imagine how bored he can get without those electronics we take for granted every day; Well, why is he bored, he should read, you say!
He would read more if he only HAD books! He has to walk almost a half hour each way to go eat lunch for the day – imagine how that is when it rains! Or imagine normal days when it is hot and sunny!; so why doesn’t he cook at home you ask: well, he doesn’t have a refrigerator, a stove, or other furniture for that matter, except for a bed…; Most of his time he spends making greeting cards and he also teaches English and translates from Spanish to English and vice versa yet he can barely pay his water and electric bills that are only $25/month.
Now, you would think my reaction would be to start a campaign to get people to help support his ministry. He was hired for pastoral assistance at a Lutheran church but was cut from the budget a year ago. He had worked with youth and had great experiences in leading people to the Lord. (I remember those from old e-mails he sent me.)
As a good Christian and good friend, I should do something to help – Right?? WRONG: instead of feeling sorry for him and doing something to help him, I felt sorry for myself! Instead of praying more for him and his comfort, I got more depressed myself. Instead of thinking about how rough life is for him, I WAS JEALOUS! Can you believe it ! It is pretty clear to me to see how the enemy has many of us in a snare we don’t know how to get out of. He bogs us down with the cares of the world, like the seed sown in the thorns in the parable of Jesus.
This is how I replied my friend:
Honestly, what I have read about your experiences, you are in a better place (spiritually and believe it or not even physically) than most of us here in the “real world”. This is going to sound bad and I mean no disrespect to the Lord but I’m going to be honest with you and tell you that life pretty much sucks for us right now. I somehow wish I could trade places for you and not have anyone else to worry about. I wish I would live really humbly without any external extra possessions that take your focus off the main thing : seeking the Lord.
I wish I could live without material possessions that gets you in debt so much that you realize that you have become trapped in a black hole that sucks you in more and more and there seems no hope in climbing out. Making changes in your lifestyle and habits now is too little to make progress. Hence the desperation. We are so freekin’ discouraged at this moment that we’re holding on with a little thread to God that we know He supplies all our needs and is able to help us to come out of this horrible trap we have gotten into and can’t get out of. One thing after another breaks (or accident) and has to be replaced. Every month we go deeper and deeper into debt because “everything” is necessary.
To maintain this kind of life style is insane and ridiculous: here’s how the rationalizing goes: Cars break/ or accident – have to spend huge amounts of money (or swipe the credit card because we don’t have “real” money) because we have to have good working cars so we can go to work, we have to work so we can pay our bills, we need to pay them because we need a place to live, and food etc. Washing machine breaks: we have to buy a new washing machine because fixing the old one didn’t work and costs too much and not only do we need it but we have renters who need it and its too time consuming and too expensive to go to a Laundromat. We can’t wash them by hand because we don’t have time, because we work because we have to pay bills…. Etc etc.. catch my drift?
I wish I could spend time thinking, reading, and writing. (I have books I could send you but I don’t know if they could get there?) I would love to write too. I have always loved writing – its also been a big dream of mine…. BUT I don’t have time because I have to work because I have to pay bills,….
Anyhow, we never see each other with my spouse because I work in the evenings (so I could see my son for a few moments in the mornings). I know having family fellowship time with God would be good but we don’t have time because we have to work…
I will pray for you of course and will try to remember to tell my husband if I ever see him for more than 5 minutes… However, please pray for us. We’re very discouraged right now. One car is in the shop and will be a big bill. My husband got transferred to far away, which is almost a 2 hour commute each way. The company does not give him more gas money or compensation for car wear.
The company has a work site 7 miles from my house but won’t send my spouse there. I’m making a little more than student workers with 2 Master’s Degrees. I like the environment because there’s many Christians and I have met many nice people BUT I can’t pay my bills with this poor income…. Thanks for letting me vent. It’s been a bad day….
Bless You!!
Katriina Morales
2006-12-11 01:24:54 GMT
