Thinking of...Nothing

1.3 billion people live on less than a dollar a day.


The average American lives on $54 per day. A stunning disparity.

I used to hear statistics like that and I would feel guilty. Why do I have so much when they have so little?

Or overwhelmed. How can I possibly make a difference in the lives of 1.3 billion people?

Or indifferent. I have my own problems and there is nothing I can do about that kind of poverty anyway.

Now I feel heartbroken and convicted and strangely empowered. I cannot solve world poverty. I leave that in the hands of God. I can re-evaluate my own life and look at what I have with new eyes. Do I really need all that I have? Can I redistribute part of my wealth (I don’t often think of myself as wealthy until I compare my family with families living on only $1 per day) towards those who are in greater need? And, can I open space in my life for the things that really matter to me by clearing out some of the stuff?

God

My kids

My husband

My job (I am blessed with work that I love)

Nature

Time and space to breathe and to laugh and to love

I have been inspired by 30 Days of Nothing (see 30daysofnothing@blogspot.com for the original blog) to ask these questions . My family and I will spend the 30 days of September trying not to consume. We will buy all the basics – food, utilities, rent- and try to live without the rest. No new clothes (or shoes!). No new books. No going out to dinner or lunch. No ice cream treats from Costco or Starbucks lattes. We are setting our grocery budget at $100 for the entire month. We’re not sure this is feasible, but we’re going to give it a try. We are giving ourselves grace and space through this 30 days. This is not about legalism or following rules (Eric keeps asking – what are the rules and I keep saying, “There are none!) but about trusting God, consuming less, and learning through the process.

My prayer for this 30 Days of Nothing is that I will find more room to move in my life and that I will find a deeper connection with God and uncover my longings for God that have been buried under stuff. I pray that my family and I will learn what we need and what is a luxury and that we will enter into a living gratitude for both. I hope for a connection with the earth as we eat from our garden and do less harm to our planet by consuming less. I hope that we will develop more of a heart for the world’s poor and begin to awaken to the ways in which God might be inviting us to make a difference, however small, in the lives of those who have less than we do.

I also pray for grace. From God for the ways in which I take for granted all that I have already. From myself because I know that this is going to be tough and that I am going to be often tempted to cheat on the goals Eric and I have set for our family. And from others. Please be kind in your comments as we go forward on this adventure. I begin with the humble knowledge that I am human and that this 30 days will be difficult. I am grateful that the Goldsby family and Matt are on this journey with our family. I know that I will need the support of others along the way.

And so tomorrow we begin…