Peace of Mind

This evening my wife and I had the great pleasure of eating dinner and catching up with an old high school friend of mine. On the way home I asked my wife 


"Would you endure a few months of great heart ache from a relationship gone wrong, if you could write it into a song or a book and make millions; thus providing a great lifestyle change? Would it be worth it?" 


As our conversation carried on we concluded that it would probably be worth it. But, we also discussed the peace of mind that comes with knowing what is to come. Willingly placing yourself in a harmful position (emotional, physical, etc) to gain much reward in the end. This is a major variable that cannot be taken into consideration while enduring such a consequential season of life. 


For example... 


Recently a very well known pastor chose to quit his position at the church he started a number years ago that had grown to about 4,000, to take on a season of living with his family in East Asia. According toCNN Francis Chan left his church, left a very lively public speaking schedule, and uprooted his family to live in another country under very different conditions than what they had been used to in southern California. Chan is due to return to the states sometime in January and will resume speaking at conferences, starting with the Passion Conference in Atlanta. 


Another example is Mike Yanksoski. Mike chose to leave his upper-middle class lifestyle to "panhandle" his way through homelessness for 5 months. Mike's purpose for doing this as he writes in his book Under The Over Pass was to see if his faith would withstand such strenuous conditions. Mike chose to take a big step out of his daily comforts to experience a completely different part of the American society. Five months of poverty, smelliness, and the hard-knocks of living on the streets; but all the while knowing there was an exit strategy. 


Shane Claiborne's story approaches this discussion form a different angle. After graduating from college and attending Princeton Theological Seminary for a short term Shane began to work and live among the homeless community of Philadelphia. I believe it is obvious to anyone who has read Shane's book The Irresistible Revolution that he has chose his way of living because of a deep conviction and desire to love and serve those in poverty. At any rate Shane chose this lifestyle and in many ways it has proven very lucrative for him. 


I admire and respect all these men for holding true to the convictions that God has seemed to place on their lives, but I do want to point out just one thing. All these men at some point have entered into their lifestyle or season of life with peace of mind. Chan still having his speaking engagements lined up upon his return, Yanksoski able to step out of his season of poverty at any point, and Claiborne able to gain much fame and money from books sales and speaking engagements. Now, understand what I am saying here; I am in no way degrading the decisions of any one of these men, nor do I think they have alternative reasons than what they have presented. In fact I respect and hold each of these men in high regard for the awareness each one of them has brought forth and the examples they have set with their lives. But, I do think it is an unfair claim to assume that simply placing ourselves physically in a position of poverty does not mean we are able to empathize with those who have not chosen that lifestyle. I believe the "not knowing" of living on the streets, or the anxiety that may come from living in a less established country can bare much weight on a person. 


Again, let me make clear that I have read books by all these men and respect each of them very much and in no way do I consider the choices they have made insincere, ignorant, or pompous. 


All I want to highlight is the assumption that many of us make when we assume we can step into someone else's situation and believe we know just how they feel or what decision they should make. The complete hopelessness the comes from growing up on the streets and living in a poverty stricken country is an emotion that is near impossible to understand unless you actually have been there yourself. Hopelessness, anxiety, and fear are all emotions that cannot be genuinely cultivated; rather they are the ones that can only be unexpectedly stumbled upon. These emotions are typically not welcomed during their stay but often looked upon after the fact with much gratitude because of the wisdom and strength they provided. Decisions and way of life run much deeper than the mere material, we must consider the spiritual and the emotional as well.