Lent: Money

This week’s fast was from money. The rules were simple: no money could be spent on myself, only given to others. Catch up on the conversation, and check out last week’s fast from resources.

There is a story every parent tells over and over about their child. Usually they are cute and endearing but also provide a little belly chuckle. One of my family’s favorite stories to tell involves me as a three year old. My father instructed me not to touch the piano in the basement of our church, of course in response I walked right over to it, climbed on the bench and began to play the forbidden keys. When my dad reprimanded me, my response was, “but Daddy! I love you!” Cute right?

Now this story isn’t meaningful in my family because it shows my dedication to musical instruments and it definitely was not a foreshadowing of my musical career (seventh grade piano lessons were rough, mostly for those who had to listen). This story is retold through out the ages because it holds an age old truth about me as a person, even as a little three year old. When I’m told what I can and cannot do, I rarely respond with obedience.

This trait is much broader than myself, it is the human condition. We hate being under authority, even if it is good for us.

The three year old inside of me has responded to lent similarly. Now, 17 years later I have a little more self discipline, but everything inside of me wanted to do what is forbidden. I would not be craving food, but knowing I wasn’t allowed to spend money made me want to eat out. It did not help that I spent the weekend at a friend’s house who lives next door to the best coffee shop in town. Once I saw consumerism as the forbidden fruit all my soul wanted to do was consume.

Impulsive.

This is the word to best describe my spending habits. As I analyzed my spending habits by abstaining, I realized how little I have to think through my purchases. If I want a cup of coffee, I buy it. My stomach is growling and I don’t want to cook, I eat out. Find a pair of cute shoes? Oh sure, I’ll purchase those babies.

Thoughtless.

So much of my consumerism is thoughtless. Since I am a white middle class American, this attitude is possible. As often as I claim the “poor college student” identity, I am in the top 1% in relation to wealth around the world. I’ve fallen in a place where I do not have to think before I act, so I don’t. I let the system continue to serve me.

A cup of three dollar coffee seems like pocket change and completely justifiable, that is until I see the bigger picture. Then I realize 25,000 people die of hunger or hunger related causes every day and I hear things like “each meal only costs 22 cents to produce.” As the steam rises from my three dollar cup of joe I realize I could have fed 13 hungry children lunch, but instead I chose to sit in my hipster coffee shop, sipping my warm drink on a full stomach.

These are the thoughts that make me ashamed.

Suddenly, in light of all this truth, it stops being about self discipline or doing the “right thing.” This fast stops being about proving self discipline or abstaining from the forbidden fruit. Any thoughts about being an elitist Christian die instantly. It quickly becomes about treating my brothers and sisters with dignity and respect. It becomes about saving a life and filling a stomach. If I believe each human bears the image of God, then my actions must change. Frugality is no longer about increasing the number in my bank account. It is about keeping another person alive.

_____________________________________________________________________

Abby Fennema is a junior attending John Brown University. Her passion for story telling and the written word is what propelled her to help create The Millstone Blog. She believes everyone has a story worth sharing and desires to enable others to speak out. Her favorite things are road trips, camping, and the Colorado mountains.