How much is enough?

A recent post from LittlePurpleCow Productions a photography blog by Stephanie Roberts that I read regularly. From what I can tell, this lady is not a Christian - but like many "outsiders" she seems to get it better than many of the people I encounter in the church.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 12:00AM



"I love it when my priorities are challenged. Seeing homes like this in the villages of Umutara in Rwanda reminded me that home is what we make it. And that we really don't require much.

Growing up in a working class neighborhood in New Jersey, our family of four lived in a home that would be considered modest by current standards. Three bedrooms. A living room. A kitchen. A laundry room. And one bathroom. We didn't have a fireplace, or a playroom, or a second story. My brother and I played race car drivers in his closet. In the summer, my Dad would install one window air conditioning unit in their bedroom and my brother and I would camp out on the floor on the hottest of nights. I remember my parents jumping at the opportunity to find a bigger house in the South when the opportunity presented itself. For us kids, the idea of living in a house with four bathrooms, a security system, and a formal living room seemed too good to be true. Gone were the days of banging on the bathroom door.

And this notion of expansion and acquisition stayed with me. I always dreamed of building a big house and filling it up with lots of expensive things. I suppose most of us want more. Something bigger. Something grand. Something more than we have. Yet, as we acquire physical possessions to fill our expanding spaces, how much are we really gaining? Does it define us or dilute us?" {emphasis mine}