American Dream Or Not

            When Lacey and I became Christ followers, our financial situation was not good. I had accumulated a lot of debt through doctor bills. As new believers, we were inspired to get out of debt and set up a great future for our family. I started taking on side work along with my current job and worked about 100 hours a week. After finishing college, Lacey took a job as a Bank Examiner. This was not her dream job and brought on a lot of stress, but it was a financial blessing for us. Within a year, we had all of our debt paid off and managed to have our dream wedding and a pretty awesome honeymoon. After living in some really bad rental houses (really bad meaning fleas, cigarette smoke seeping through our walls from our neighbors and maggots because of dead animals in our walls), we were able to purchase our own house. We were living the American dream and were enjoying a comfortable life. All of our hard work had paid off and we could finally enjoy it. We started planning our retirement.  We were also going to give Sophie a life that we could have never dreamed of.

            We realize that when we move to another country, we are sacrificing our American dream that we had worked so hard to establish for a life with no guarantees.

            This is where our faith in God and our knowledge about God is challenged.

            Our faith shows us that God is real and He has given us more grace than we deserve. He continues to reveal His glory to us even in our weakest moments. This encourages us and motivates us to serve and Glorify Him in everything that we do.

            Our Biblical knowledge and understanding of God confirms our faith and gives a view of our eternity. This also confirms our purpose for living. Knowing this, we are inspired through our joy in God to sacrifice our current comforts and lifestyle and fulfill our purpose as Christ followers.

            Our Christian world view encourages us to love God, go to church, give, and enjoy life. It also reminds me that I can feel good about myself when I give extra or even serve locally. 

            Even as a Christian, quitting my job and going to a foreign country to glorify God does not make sense. We can do it from where we are while still enjoying the luxuries of this life. People in other countries would be better off if we just sent them money. Right?

            The only way it makes sense to leave a great place for a life with no guarantees of our health, safety, or finances, is if:

•   God is real and He wants to have a personal relationship with us.

•   The Bible is 100% accurate and it is God’s word.

•   I understand the context/meaning of the Bible and purpose of God’s word.

•   The people we encounter want to have a relationship with God and an understanding of life more than they need gifts.

•   Heaven and Hell are real places.

•   God wants the Great Commission to be fulfilled and calls all Christ followers to Go and Make Disciples.

•   The only question we should ask is…Where shall I Go?

We believe as a family that all of these things are true, God has revealed this to us and our faith has confirmed this. Knowing all of these things, how should we respond?

In other words…

We are surrendering our American dream for our eternal guarantee through our joy in God.

        

WAIVER:

            This message is not to condemn anyone of the way they are living or in their faith, but to convict myself and my family in our faith. We pray that our words will inspire you and encourage everyone to challenge us in our beliefs as well as your thoughts and beliefs so that we can all continue to grow closer to God.