The American Dream…It Ain’t All That

As my wife and I were taking inventory of our finances last week, we came upon a realization. We had yet one more month of dipping into our savings to pay the bills. Both cars had to go into the shop, and that produced large unexpected bills to be paid out to the mechanics who serviced our vehicles. None of which we anticipated. As we talked further about our finances, we both grew tense and uncomfortable with the reality that it was difficult, near impossible, to make ends meet. As a result, we began talking about whether the direction of our lives was focused more on fulfilling the “American Dream” than it was in living out the gospel. What came out of this discussion was freedom.

I always imagined it to be different that’s all. All my life, I dreamed about what it would be like to launch out in my career, marry the woman of my dreams, buy a house, and start a family. Yet, my conversation with my wife last week about finances was the wake up call. I realized that I finally got all the things I was shooting for in life, but none of this was enough for me. No slam intended on my wife, family or job because she she felt the same way. I love them all. I just realized that these things that I have longed for all my life, though fantastic in many ways, were not intended to fill the mission of my life.

Samantha asked me, “What if our lives were headed in the wrong direction? What if all our resources were not for our betterment, but for the betterment of others? What would we do differently as a result of this mission?” As she asked these questions, we both came alive. We began to move away from concentrating on our own needs, and began dreaming about fulfilling the needs of others. I was alarmed at the freedom our discussion gave me from spending energy on myself. It was a relief to talk about caring for others instead of ourselves, and it was a whole lot of fun to dream about the ways we could live differently in America. The hard part was that all of our speech included a presupposition. We had to renounce upward mobility and instead take on a downwardly mobile approach to life. Yet, as we weighed the costs of such a shift in pursuits, we continued to think that this was our only option if we were to believe in Jesus and have life in his name.

Just agreeing to pursue a downwardly mobile life, has freed us from worry, self-protection, and what’s next to get in life. So, now our conversations are more about courage, than about discernment. I think we know what to do. We just pray for the courage to step out in faith…so we can really live.

Will you pray with us? Will you pray with us that the young adult community would find its freedom in living for others, and find the courage to follow through on that conviction?