Middle Class Paradox

Have you ever worked hard on a puzzle, all the pieces are quickly coming together, and you can even start to see the picture, but you just can't seem to find the rest of the pieces to finish it? That is sort of how I am feeling tonight.

In the past 36 hours I have received pieces of this puzzle in various ways. It began with a reading of scripture in church yesterday from The Message:

1 John 2: 15:17
Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

When I heard the words "The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out" I literally gasped out loud. This scripture seemed so prescient of our current world events! Wanting is on its way out...and with global magnitude.

Then I went to the Class Matters workshop last evening. It was very eye-opening to understand the motiviations and mindsets of the different socioeconomic classes. The different perspectives between those in generational poverty and those in the middle class are very interesting. When viewed through the lens of 1 John 2, I feel that I have just started to put the edge on my puzzle picture.

You see, in the middle class, our value is measured by our achievements. We measure this by our career achievements, financial achievements, education achievements and most of all our posessions. We have so much stuff that self-storage is Big Business these days!! We can't even fit all our posessions in our homes. And once again the scripture hits home..."Love of the world squeezes out love of the Father". Our posessions become our gods - and we become so immersed in this self absorbed life style that we forget about the One who has provided all. In fact we really have difficulty "scheduling" him on our calendars.

Now my class also taught me that those in situational or generational poverty measure their worth in relationships. Relationships become their currency in life. The more relationships you have, the greater your chance for survival.

I have been really caught up in this fact that the poor understand the value of relationship. And here is where I have hit one of those spots in my puzzle where I have most of the pieces, but just can't find that one necessary piece to complete my puzzle.

The poor measure their value by relationships...
Jesus said "Blessed are the poor in spirit". This is the very first of the Beatitudes.
To begin relationship with Jesus, we must also become "poor" in our love for wordly goods, in our love of self and perhaps even in our financial standing. Because only when we are poor do we have the room for our complete love for the Father.

The poor value relationships because they are necessary for survival...
And her comes another little puzzle piece...this morning, my business associate shared this scripture that was read at his church yesterday:

Luke 12: 29-34
"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don't be afraid of missing out. You're my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
"Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being

By joining Jesus in relationship we will "find all your everyday human concerns will be met."

And how about that tag line! "Get yourselves a bank that can't go bankrupt, a bank in heaven"
Does that not hit the target in these times of bank rescues and financial turbulance!!!!

I still feel I haven't hit the kernal of great truth that is lying there waiting for me in these scriptures, and am praying that God will reveal the rest of this puzzle picture to me. I anxiously await the next piece to be revealed!