Tuesday, April 23, 2013

More Grateful, More Content

The motor signaled its demise; for 4 days we heard a loud, annoying, grind-screech sound.

And alas, as of tonight, the dishwasher is dead, 7.5 years after we bought it.

Will I ever blog again other than the middle of the night, once I'm washing dishes three times a day?

We shall see....

Late tonight, as I soaped, rinsed and shined the chicken-noodle soup bowls, along with the glasses and pans and silver we used for dinner, I knew we wouldn't replace the dishwasher.

When we bought it seven and a half years ago, we were different people...regular first-world people. We didn't know about Compassion International and we didn't dearly love three extra children:

Divya (India, age 9.5, correspondent child)

 

Nelson (El Salvador, age 8, sponsor child)

 

Raphael (Burkina Faso, age 13.5, correspondent child)




Once you fall in love with a child from the third world, your heart is wrecked and your eyes opened. No longer can you get in your vehicle, drive to Sears, and buy a luxury item. Not unless you can send the same amount of money to your Compassion children, and still afford the dishwasher.

Everything concerning finances gets filtered through your new lens...your third-world, least-of-these lens.

But this change doesn't occur overnight. It takes time, prayer and letter writing to develop a love such as this... when you truly feel like your Compassion children are part of your family.

I believe God divinely chooses your sponsor children with as much insight and love as he chooses your biological children. As we raise our children the process itself is part of our discipleship in Christ. Parent and child idiosyncrasies and flaws and gifts mingle just right, sharpening us in Him.

The same is true of sponsoring children. The experience itself disciples you and with each letter written, with each prayer uttered, with each rejoicing of heart, with each passing month you contribute to their care, you become more like Jesus.

And as you become more like Jesus, what happens to your contentment?

It skyrockets and suddenly, you don't need that GPS, that dishwasher, that fancy phone, that designer purse, that Olive Garden meal.

The amount of luxury money we spend is directly related to our contentment level. The less content we are, the more we buy.

And our contentment is directly related to our sense of gratitude. The less grateful we are, the more we think we deserve.

To be more grateful and more content, sponsor a child today.

Who wouldn't want to be more like Jesus?

Wondering if you can afford the $38 a month required to sponsor a child? Consider this verse about your daily needs:

Matthew 6:33  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

Never again will you go to your mailbox with the same what-bill-will-it-be-today attitude. Once you get into the website and hit "sponsor a child", you'll always look forward to a letter from your precious child.

And who will meet you at the mailbox?

Jesus himself, disguised as the least of these.  I guarantee it.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You have such a sweet heart. I pray that even though you do not buy it you would be miraculously blessed with a new dishwasher!

Vicki said...

Christine! I love this post. It is so filled with truth and insight. I'm thinking about the last month and how many things have gone wrong (car engine, furnace problems, leaky sink, son's problems at school.....) and how much "extra" money I have spent on eating out or special treats when I should have been praying more and in the word more. God has been faithful in all of these trials and I need to remember THAT!!!!

Thank you for these words!

So many blessings to you (and hopefully in the form of a dishwasher!)

Vicki