I was nannying today at this beautiful, big house in rancho mirage ca. The family is clearly wealthy, and apparently Christian. I began thinking, particularly when it was time to give the girls their nighttime showers; how filthy rich are we as Americans?
Here is a three year old girl washing her already clean, thin brown hair and fair skinned body with what we Americans would classify as average priced soaps in a beautiful stone and glass shower room larger than some peoples' bedrooms.
This scene beckoned thoughts of the children who live in the countries where we harvest our stone tiles or luxurious items. I just pictured a similarly aged girl, filthy with the feces and waste of her community.
I couldn't spend much more time working through my thoughts of contrasting these two images in my mind, but I did manage to come to some quick conclusions for myself: if I ever become exponentially more wealthy than I am now (I believe most Americans are the rich of this world in comparison to the world at large), I will not spend said wealth on myself or my family. My standard of living should not increase soley alongside my salary. My goal in life is not financially centered, nor should it be.
My goal is not even to live comfortably. If I were to gain substantially more than my standard of living, then the more I can do and give for others. I would love to have seemingly unlimited funds, simply because I feel that money does serve as a great and simple means to generate aid in this world.
Imagine what amazing changes could be made for a village or community in an impoverished area with the $40,000 to $90,000 that many Americans put towards having a pool off their back patio. That amount could change lives for eternity, yet instead, we relish in the luxuries of having a place to take a dip a few times a year.
Another thought I wrestle surrounds the fact that Christian Americans are oftentimes committing their attention and resources to the same things as non-Christian Americans. We walk around claiming Christ and nailing decorative crosses in our over-sized, single family homes, yet we never stop to act on behalf of our neighbor. So many people feel they have completed their duty by tossing whatever's in their wallet in the giving basket at church, or by giving twenty bucks to the homeless person at the gas station, but what about loving on others in motive and deed? What about sacrificing past our wall of comfort?
Even simply educating ourselves on the current state of our international community of humanity would prove as a valuable use of our time and resources.
Here is a three year old girl washing her already clean, thin brown hair and fair skinned body with what we Americans would classify as average priced soaps in a beautiful stone and glass shower room larger than some peoples' bedrooms.
This scene beckoned thoughts of the children who live in the countries where we harvest our stone tiles or luxurious items. I just pictured a similarly aged girl, filthy with the feces and waste of her community.
I couldn't spend much more time working through my thoughts of contrasting these two images in my mind, but I did manage to come to some quick conclusions for myself: if I ever become exponentially more wealthy than I am now (I believe most Americans are the rich of this world in comparison to the world at large), I will not spend said wealth on myself or my family. My standard of living should not increase soley alongside my salary. My goal in life is not financially centered, nor should it be.
My goal is not even to live comfortably. If I were to gain substantially more than my standard of living, then the more I can do and give for others. I would love to have seemingly unlimited funds, simply because I feel that money does serve as a great and simple means to generate aid in this world.
Imagine what amazing changes could be made for a village or community in an impoverished area with the $40,000 to $90,000 that many Americans put towards having a pool off their back patio. That amount could change lives for eternity, yet instead, we relish in the luxuries of having a place to take a dip a few times a year.
Another thought I wrestle surrounds the fact that Christian Americans are oftentimes committing their attention and resources to the same things as non-Christian Americans. We walk around claiming Christ and nailing decorative crosses in our over-sized, single family homes, yet we never stop to act on behalf of our neighbor. So many people feel they have completed their duty by tossing whatever's in their wallet in the giving basket at church, or by giving twenty bucks to the homeless person at the gas station, but what about loving on others in motive and deed? What about sacrificing past our wall of comfort?
Even simply educating ourselves on the current state of our international community of humanity would prove as a valuable use of our time and resources.
Despite my continued thoughts on this topic, I unfortunately have run out of the time required to record them.
God bless America, God bless the whole world.
