We all have priorities in life, things that
we value over other things. And we spend our time and energies pursuing those
priorities. What I find is that our stated priorities don’t always match up
with our lived-out priorities. What we say and what we do are different.
Our proverb for today speaks volumes. Our
society is built on pretending to be a somebody. The fact that we can borrow
money to buy a big house, SUV, boat and summer home all on a promise to someday
pay it back; this is pretending. It is hard for us to live our reality. What
would people think?
The recent financial crisis fueled by the
housing bubble illustrates this very well. Banks were willing to lend, in fact
told to lend, to those who did not have the ability to pay back. People were
encouraged to live above their means, way above what they could really afford.
As portrayed in some movies, their houses would look just fine on the outside,
but they were empty on the inside. Things would get sold at a fraction of the
cost just to keep food on the table. Mattresses ended up on the floor rather
than held in an overpriced bedroom suite.
I hate seeing people arriving for their food
stamps in a Ford Escalade. They are pretending to be somebody and they have no
food. They have cable TV showing on their 60’ screen, but not the necessities
of life. They have the electronic toys, but no toilet paper.
Living simply is much easier to pull off.
Once the mental adjustment has been made, you simply ask, “Do I NEED this?” If the answer is no, it can
be shifted to the second category. After all the NEEDS have been met, then the second category can be examined.
Needs and wants are two very different things.
But how can a nobody afford a servant? We
couldn’t in our culture, but in theirs it was easy. Their servants were often
young adolescents without a home. They served for a place to sleep and their
food. It was very inexpensive to have a servant. Having a servant meant you had
enough.
I don’t like the pressures of being a
somebody. When the bills are coming due, and the money is dwindling, pressure!
Right now as we transition to the next phase of our lives we have two houses,
two mortgages, two utilities, two insurances, two maintenances. You get the
picture. But this is just for a season. When we make the transition, we won’t have
any mortgages. Pressure gone!
Work at living who you are instead of who
you want others to think you are.