The American Dream for me included: a college education, amazing career, retirement plan, 4 children, college paid for for my children, a spacious Victorian or Colonial home, an suv, fitness club that I could teach classes at until I'm 90, designer clothes and purses, fru fru nails and shoes, and a nice church where I could worship and be filled weekly. Now, I question all of the time how in the world I ever got programmed to think that all of this was a part of what I really wanted and what I deserved as a smart, hard working woman. The bottom line is that I bought into the biggest lie Satan has ever sold us.
I have been very driven from the time I could earn a dollar to make as much as possible to have a car, pay my way through college, and attain that dream career to provide for myself and my children that American Dream. When did the American Dream become the standard by which we are all judged and which we all have to kill ourselves to have?
I think of the time with my 2 children that I have sacrificed in order to provide the dream for them. Did they need to be on every sports team? Did we need private lessons, tumbling, competitive cheer leading, dancing, etc? Would our quality of life have suffered if we didn't live in a 3 or 4 bedroom home or had a flat screen with surround sound or spent all of our time running around to all of those activities? What was really important? My how my perspective has changed in the last 2 years. We had love, food, shelter, necessities as well as some luxuries. What else did we really need?
I don't know what I'm going to do this next year having only 1 job. I can't think of a time when I didn't have 2 or more jobs such as teaching fitness classes, working at the pool, waiting tables somewhere, teaching summer school, proctoring college classes, teaching, administrating or multiple combinations of all of the above in order to provide "a better life" for my children.
This past year in addition to being an elementary principal, I taught fitness classes until I couldn't swing the schedule, worked at the coffee shop on occasion, and taught at my church. Whatever God provided as a way for me to take care of my children, I did it with little pride left to hang on to just to keep the lights on, buy food, and allow my daughter to have some semblance of a senior year. Likewise, my daughter taught dance classes, waited tables, did child care at the church, and was a lifeguard at the pool. She's a hard working chip off the old block. We went from living the American Dream to fighting to not have anything repossessed that we didn't absolutely need. I sold everything else including every piece of jewelry as well as those designer clothes.
Just because you have a masters degree and some worldly position as a leader doesn't mean that you are excluded from serving others in any capacity you can when called upon to do so (not that being a principal doesn't require serving in its own way), especially in the event that you have 2 children depending on you. Pride is gone. I would have scrubbed other peoples' toilets again if that was the difference between electricity and none. That is a pretty darn good reason to work your butt off.
I have to admit that in the past my objective was to have my "American Dream". Where is it in scripture that it says "Thau shalt have a college education, 3000 squ foot home, designer clothes, and massage therapy?" I am pretty sure all of that dream came from me for many, many complicated as well as selfish reasons but mostly because I believed the lie from Satan that the "American Dream" was the standard for us all to attain.
Was it that I grew up in a home that was driven by the culture of poverty or because I, also, had the country club experience with the other side of my family? I knew what it was like to fly across the country and ride in limos before I was 10. I was blessed to experience how the other half lived. I became spoiled at one home and watched the furniture get repossessed at the other. I dined on Filet Mignon on Saturday with my grandparents then went home to cheerios and government cheese. It was very confusing, but I made up my mind a long time ago that I was going to have the country club life. I was willing to work hard for it, too. I saw how the better half lived, and I wanted that America.
How does being a Christian, actually living out the life that I committed to at age 7, fit into my plan and American Dream? God says that the meek will inherit the earth. (Matt 5:5) The first will be last and the last will be first. (Matt 20:16) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. (Matt 19:24) Does God not want me to have my American Dream? Do I really want my American Dream?
Today, I am sitting in my new to me apartment with no retirement, no savings, debt up to my eyeballs, and an amazing job. My daughter is in the Dominican and will come back to work and pay her own way through school with as much help as I can give her. My son will be flying back and forth from Texas. My Victorian home in Texas is sitting for sale with the hope of a new buyer soon so that I can use the equity to pay back the people that I owe. Financially, I have "nothing". Yet, I feel like I have everything.
Spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially I really am blessed. I have food, shelter, transportation, employment, health, love, family, friends, and potential. I don't need a sum of money in the bank, a massive home, fancy clothes or any other status BS. I have given it all to God to follow this path that He has me on. If God means for me to prosper, then He will prosper me. I don't care anymore. What I need and want has changed so much. That old American Dream has broken off of me to a huge degree. When God blesses me with a pedicure, I'm thankful. I don't bow down and worship at the alter of the American Dream anymore and check myself anytime I lean back in that direction. It's a battle, but the freedom is worth it. Jesus said that His yoke was easy and His burden was light. When did I allow myself to become so entangled in a burdensome dream?
God's plans are to prosper us and not to harm us. That doesn't necessarily mean financial prosperity though it might. Either way, His yoke is easy. When things became stressful and too much to manage, why didn't I question what I was working so hard for?
I was so spoiled, and God has continued to spoil me in so many amazing ways that only He can provide. He is my husband, provider, lover of my soul. He has blessed me, and I am thankful that my old American Dream has been reborn into the dream of being an empty vessel waiting for God to fill me and use me. I have two amazing healthy children, I have love, and I have a new beginning that God has completely engineered and provided.
Life in His trenches is tough, God will allow trials to keep us humble, dependent on Him, and Kingdom minded. It's not about this world, money, status, clothes, children, spouses, or anything else out there that can drive us. Everything is so that we can draw nearer to God, serve Him, and love like Jesus loves. The rest of the luxuries of this world are just bonuses. Praise God for your bonuses no matter how small or large and remember to bless others like you have been blessed.
I am sitting in Denver, CO, and I am sincerely on a Rocky Mountain High. Thank you, God, for the love and sacrifice of your son so that I can stand before you redeemed. Forgive me for embracing and worshiping the American Dream. I pray that I stay Kingdom minded. Honestly, I do not think any of us in America really have a clue what poverty looks like. Thank you, Father, that we are blessed and keep us all from being spoiled. I will say this, America is an amazing country to live in. We have the potential to do anything we want to chase any dream. My dream became an idol. My dream was not completely born of sin because there are some great things about desiring to take care of your family. The fluff that I wanted should have been kept in check. That's all I'm getting at on this one. I pray you all understand my point.
I have been very driven from the time I could earn a dollar to make as much as possible to have a car, pay my way through college, and attain that dream career to provide for myself and my children that American Dream. When did the American Dream become the standard by which we are all judged and which we all have to kill ourselves to have?
I think of the time with my 2 children that I have sacrificed in order to provide the dream for them. Did they need to be on every sports team? Did we need private lessons, tumbling, competitive cheer leading, dancing, etc? Would our quality of life have suffered if we didn't live in a 3 or 4 bedroom home or had a flat screen with surround sound or spent all of our time running around to all of those activities? What was really important? My how my perspective has changed in the last 2 years. We had love, food, shelter, necessities as well as some luxuries. What else did we really need?
I don't know what I'm going to do this next year having only 1 job. I can't think of a time when I didn't have 2 or more jobs such as teaching fitness classes, working at the pool, waiting tables somewhere, teaching summer school, proctoring college classes, teaching, administrating or multiple combinations of all of the above in order to provide "a better life" for my children.
This past year in addition to being an elementary principal, I taught fitness classes until I couldn't swing the schedule, worked at the coffee shop on occasion, and taught at my church. Whatever God provided as a way for me to take care of my children, I did it with little pride left to hang on to just to keep the lights on, buy food, and allow my daughter to have some semblance of a senior year. Likewise, my daughter taught dance classes, waited tables, did child care at the church, and was a lifeguard at the pool. She's a hard working chip off the old block. We went from living the American Dream to fighting to not have anything repossessed that we didn't absolutely need. I sold everything else including every piece of jewelry as well as those designer clothes.
Just because you have a masters degree and some worldly position as a leader doesn't mean that you are excluded from serving others in any capacity you can when called upon to do so (not that being a principal doesn't require serving in its own way), especially in the event that you have 2 children depending on you. Pride is gone. I would have scrubbed other peoples' toilets again if that was the difference between electricity and none. That is a pretty darn good reason to work your butt off.
I have to admit that in the past my objective was to have my "American Dream". Where is it in scripture that it says "Thau shalt have a college education, 3000 squ foot home, designer clothes, and massage therapy?" I am pretty sure all of that dream came from me for many, many complicated as well as selfish reasons but mostly because I believed the lie from Satan that the "American Dream" was the standard for us all to attain.
Was it that I grew up in a home that was driven by the culture of poverty or because I, also, had the country club experience with the other side of my family? I knew what it was like to fly across the country and ride in limos before I was 10. I was blessed to experience how the other half lived. I became spoiled at one home and watched the furniture get repossessed at the other. I dined on Filet Mignon on Saturday with my grandparents then went home to cheerios and government cheese. It was very confusing, but I made up my mind a long time ago that I was going to have the country club life. I was willing to work hard for it, too. I saw how the better half lived, and I wanted that America.
How does being a Christian, actually living out the life that I committed to at age 7, fit into my plan and American Dream? God says that the meek will inherit the earth. (Matt 5:5) The first will be last and the last will be first. (Matt 20:16) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. (Matt 19:24) Does God not want me to have my American Dream? Do I really want my American Dream?
Today, I am sitting in my new to me apartment with no retirement, no savings, debt up to my eyeballs, and an amazing job. My daughter is in the Dominican and will come back to work and pay her own way through school with as much help as I can give her. My son will be flying back and forth from Texas. My Victorian home in Texas is sitting for sale with the hope of a new buyer soon so that I can use the equity to pay back the people that I owe. Financially, I have "nothing". Yet, I feel like I have everything.
Spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially I really am blessed. I have food, shelter, transportation, employment, health, love, family, friends, and potential. I don't need a sum of money in the bank, a massive home, fancy clothes or any other status BS. I have given it all to God to follow this path that He has me on. If God means for me to prosper, then He will prosper me. I don't care anymore. What I need and want has changed so much. That old American Dream has broken off of me to a huge degree. When God blesses me with a pedicure, I'm thankful. I don't bow down and worship at the alter of the American Dream anymore and check myself anytime I lean back in that direction. It's a battle, but the freedom is worth it. Jesus said that His yoke was easy and His burden was light. When did I allow myself to become so entangled in a burdensome dream?
God's plans are to prosper us and not to harm us. That doesn't necessarily mean financial prosperity though it might. Either way, His yoke is easy. When things became stressful and too much to manage, why didn't I question what I was working so hard for?
I was so spoiled, and God has continued to spoil me in so many amazing ways that only He can provide. He is my husband, provider, lover of my soul. He has blessed me, and I am thankful that my old American Dream has been reborn into the dream of being an empty vessel waiting for God to fill me and use me. I have two amazing healthy children, I have love, and I have a new beginning that God has completely engineered and provided.
Life in His trenches is tough, God will allow trials to keep us humble, dependent on Him, and Kingdom minded. It's not about this world, money, status, clothes, children, spouses, or anything else out there that can drive us. Everything is so that we can draw nearer to God, serve Him, and love like Jesus loves. The rest of the luxuries of this world are just bonuses. Praise God for your bonuses no matter how small or large and remember to bless others like you have been blessed.
I am sitting in Denver, CO, and I am sincerely on a Rocky Mountain High. Thank you, God, for the love and sacrifice of your son so that I can stand before you redeemed. Forgive me for embracing and worshiping the American Dream. I pray that I stay Kingdom minded. Honestly, I do not think any of us in America really have a clue what poverty looks like. Thank you, Father, that we are blessed and keep us all from being spoiled. I will say this, America is an amazing country to live in. We have the potential to do anything we want to chase any dream. My dream became an idol. My dream was not completely born of sin because there are some great things about desiring to take care of your family. The fluff that I wanted should have been kept in check. That's all I'm getting at on this one. I pray you all understand my point.
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