"More Possessions Mean Less Community"

February of 2005, I spent 10 days in Lucea, Jamaica on a work-based mission team.  It is a trip that had quite an impact on my life.  However, like many experiences, the lessons learned seem to fade over time. 

In a few weeks, I will be headed on another work-based mission team to Nicaragua.  I've been praying about this experience, this team and the community we will be building a school for.  I've been praying that God would move my heart on this trip.  A few days after first praying this prayer, I found the "journal" from my trip to Jamaica that one of the women kept during our time on the trip.  As I read the journal, the same theme seemed to come up during each day's journal entry... "More possessions mean less community." 

This is a theme we discussed a lot in the evenings during our dominos or spoons games.  Each of us were amazed at how much "community" there was in Lucea.  Everyone knew each other and more importantly, everyone relied on each other for strength.  This stood in stark contrast to many of the communities at our homes in Charlotte.  At the time, I had lived in a neighborhood where I had just bought my first home.  Of the many homes that would be considered my "neighbors", I couldn't even tell you people's names.  Even if I could tell you people's first names, I definitely was not relying on anyone but myself. 

More possessions means less community... here in the States, we seem to pride ourselves on not needing to rely on others.  The "American dream" seems to mean being financially stable, relying on no one else.  However, reflecting back on my time in Jamaica, I wonder if the "American dream" is really more of a nightmare.  The folks in Jamaica seem so happy.  My neighbors in Charlotte had more to "be happy about", but definitely did not seem happy.  Same rings true today, I do not see many smiles amongst my neighbors. 

In The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids, Madeline Levine discusses how privilege has its price.  She talks about how miserable today's teens seem to be, despite having everything that American culture says we need to be happy. 

The longer I work with teenagers, the more I believe the "American Dream" really is a nightmare.  There is just so much "noise" in our lives.  The more "things" teenagers have in their lives, the more difficult it appears to be for them to really be able to connect to God.  I'm not just talking about material "things".  I am also talking about the packed schedules, the social media, texting, sports, jobs, school work loads and more. 

This is not a generation that often has to "deny" themselves of much of anything.  They typically get whatever they want, when they want it.  Truth is, I'm not sure whether age has anything to do with it.  I would say our culture today does not necessarily promote "denying" ourselves of anything, no matter what our age. 

So, why bring this up today?  Well, in the church, today is the first day of Lent.  Today is Ash Wednesday and is also the day many Christians begin a "fast" of some kind.  We "give up" something in our lives to become more spiritually focused. 

I hope this is something that you each participate in and I hope that you choose to "fast" with something that is a real challenge.  Today on the radio I heard many people calling in to tell what they were going to give up and it amazed me at how few of them seemed to want to really challenge themselves.  Most of us use this day to give up something in our lives that we know we need to give up anyway. 

But there is often no "challenge" to it and it is no surprise that it is also often not that much of a spiritual experience for folks either.  Some folks even skip the "fast" all together and just "add something good" to their lives.

My challenge to you is to really focus on giving up something this lent that is a true challenge.  Do not just give up something simple.  Try giving up TV for lent.  Even for someone who doesn't watch much TV, it was one of the most challenging things I have ever given up. 

Reflecting back on my Jamaica Mission trip experience, I must say that most of us have plenty to choose from when it comes time to giving something up.  We, as a culture, just have so many "things" that serve as a distraction from God.  These things also often serve as a distraction from our communities as well.  We are an isolated society and in many ways a miserable society. 

This Lent, take a good long look at your life.  Really think about things in your life that need to be changed.  Really think about things in your life that serve as distractions from God. 

In your life, do your possessions keep you from really living in community?  Does your schedule seclude you from your community.  More importantly, do your possessions and schedule disconnect you from God?