I don’t fit in here.
In a city of “McMansions” and the goal for everyone to have “bigger and better,” I have felt the need to pursue those things as well. Not purposefully, but it just snuck up on me. Kids here have an attitude of entitlement. The poor and needy are looked at as a problem not because they are in need, but because they make the city look bad. People will be in a lot of debt to keep up a certain image that can only be found in stuff.
It’s everywhere, and I allowed it to sneak into my heart. I have felt embarrassed to live in the small house that we live, in the not-so-fancy neighborhood that we live in (what many in Frisco call the “ghetto” even though it is far from it), in the fact that we rarely have extra money to spend, and I have constantly felt the need to explain and justify myself. I have thought that if I ever make more money, the first thing I will do is buy a bigger house, buy newer/nicer vehicles, etc.
I’m breaking out of this trap today… the way that we decided to do that is to figure out what our family mission is and why we are here. We don’t feel that we are to live the way everyone else lives here. We feel that we are to stand out for the sake of following Christ as He has called us to follow Him.
Here’s our “tentative” mission statement:
To live simply and intentionally so that we are free to give, live, and go as we follow Christ.
Our priorities are:
- Loving and following Christ- in missions, ministry, service, and using our spiritual gifts… all for His glory
- Family- discipleship, light-heartedness (having fun!), experiencing the world around us (outdoors, travel), and growing our family through adoption
- Being good stewards of our finances, bodies, and the world- fostering a healthy environment mentally, emotionally, and physically
- Being open to go where God calls us
We see adoption in our future. We see missions in our future (whether that be regular short-term or long-term). We feel the need to continue to shed anything excess so that we can give, live, and go.