We are encountering the demands and barriers which have reached incredible heights since the last time we searched for a rental. How do we survive in such a greedy world?
Conventional wisdom bases itself on material options of wealth, position, and power but we believe there is more to reality. Our believing is a way of interpreting circumstances in relation to Grace and Love:
- Love for God – spiritual harmony
- Love for ourselves – self-respect, honoring the Spirit of God within us
- Love for the works of God which we are called to do and be
- Love for the prospects of our influence for Good.
We discover this basis for interpreting reality by habitual communion with the Spirit of God through various spiritual disciplines which you are probably familiar with. This causes us to grow in an unconventional view of reality. Instead of fear, worry, looking for lucky windfalls, wielding our privilege, or insisting on being the exception, we calmly ask God and people, search in the familiar ways, and knock on doors that present themselves. These three actions may seem obvious, but we accompany them with the hopeful attitude that there will be an answer, we will find our place, and the door will be opened to us (Luke 11:9-10). Grace and Love are operating in us and we find them in others too.
Spirit and Material Work Together
Practicing this attitude gives us confidence that both spirit and material need are working together for good. It is living what Jesus called “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), the attitude of openness, generosity, humility, and trusting God’s sufficiency. Beyond just material poverty or wealth, the poor in spirit have all that is needed on earth and “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
For instance, we judge a potential living space on how it facilitates both our spiritual and our material lives. A place may seem too small to others, but we may sense its goodness and sufficiency. This would be in accordance with the scripture in which God promises, “My grace is sufficient for you” (II Corinthians 12:9-10).
This is not simply “lowering our expectations”
but changing our heart attitude to a new interpretation of what we see. Likewise, we view abundance with modesty and generosity. Just as we are mindful of God’s sufficiency in the small, we understand abundance as flowing to the sufficiency of needs beyond ours. Conventional wisdom would rather fight to amass and defend property for ourselves.
The Great Commission
Living the original “great commission” to “be fruitful and multiply,” we are here to be God’s intelligence on earth and to conduct ourselves in the ways of Grace and Love. We are intentional and not tossed about by random forces to just accept any place we are cast. The Spirit is moving Creation and our moving is part of it, acting in confidence that God is acting through us.
We do feel the skepticism of others expecting us to suffer for perceived imprudence. “Ah, you should have worked harder and collected your nest egg so you could have your pick of properties.” Some wealthy and powerful will perceive our attitude with satisfaction as that of a passive, contented working class that supports them. But luxuriating in a spacious, “secure” property is only a fleeting fraction of a rich and fulfilled life which is invisible to many who base their reality upon the material alone.
Leave a Reply