Mark 6:8-9
Have
you ever had to live on a shoestring budget, money so tight that you don’t dare
buy a cup of coffee because it will mean you can’t pay the rent? If you have
never had to watch your spending like this, you have missed out. Living that
close to the edge can teach you some very valuable lessons. You really learn
the value of money when you work hard to earn it, and in the process you have
to learn how to live on next to nothing.
I
think this is one of the drawbacks of our society. Kids get all the gadgets
without having to earn it. Is there really
a need for an eight year old to have their own IPad or smart phone? I am in my
fifties, and I got my first truly smart phone a few months ago. I really didn’t
need it. I was able to answer emails
from my office. I would search the web before heading out to a new place. And I
would ask people for help.
I
admire some neighbors of ours. They have an eleven year old son. They have
helped him start a grass cutting industry. Now he is on it. He has purchased
his own John Deere lawn tractor. He has all the equipment he needs. And he does
a great job at it. They are teaching him the value of money and of hard work.
This kid will go far.
Jesus
sends His disciples out to live on the edge. They have no food, supplies or
cash. They don’t have extra clothes. They don’t have any emergency cash. They
don’t have a company credit card. They can’t call AAA to get a tow. There is no
roadside assistance. They do get to wear sandals, an important little extra
when traveling around on unfamiliar roads and towns. They could run barefoot at
home. Sandals are really a necessity when traveling. But they don’t get an
extra shirt.
Learning to live on less is a very difficult
lesson, but a lesson worth learning. It means repairing those things that can
be repaired rather than purchasing a replacement. This can be difficult in a
throwaway society. Many things can’t be repaired. And so often it is just
easier to go and purchase a new one.
Jesus
disciples are being taught to make due. The Kingdom of God is not about stuff.
The LORD doesn’t really care what kind of car you drive, as long as you are a
good steward of the wealth you do have. If only we could learn to be content
with what we do have.
The
Preppers (those folks who are preparing for economic collapse) have one thing
in common: they are learning how to make due and make use of things in a
creative manner. They are learning how to repair and repurpose all sorts of
things. They are learning to live simpler lives, lives without the conveniences
of modern life.