Failing at the American Dream

I believe we grow up in this country and we are fed this idea of "The American Dream" as something we should all strive to attain.  A good job, a good family, and a good home.  If we don't have it we should be going after it.  Everything around us legitimizes this dream as good, wise, worthy of going after.  Even within the church itself, where we are supposed to be striving to be like Christ, fulfilling the plan He has for our life; we find ourselves weaving the American dream into those plans.  We'll do anything for God, but only if it includes a good job, and a nice home for our families.  We say we will do anything for Him, but we only mean it within the context of what makes us comfortable.  There are even prosperity movements within the Christian church context that support this idea that God should want us to have a lot and be comfortable.

I believe this idea could not be further from what God cares about.  Don't get me wrong, I believe He desires to meet our needs, but our notion of what that entails is grossly exaggerated.  This has been an area that I long struggled with and I've written  about it before.  Living in NYC means habitating much smaller spaces than the rest of this country.  We are masters of creative storage solutions, we put beds in our living rooms, and what we consider large would be rated as tiny by everyone else in America.  Recently my friend and I had a laugh because her friend living in another city in a four bedroom house, sold her house to buy a bigger one when she found out she was expecting her first child!  This seemed so preposterous to us, yet the truth is that what we have is so much more than so many people who not only live in our own city, but certainly many parts of the world.  I've struggled long and hard to be content with where we are, to be grateful for it, and to set my heart on serving God instead of myself.  I grew up with a lot more in terms of physical space, vacations, and opportunities than I have now to offer my own kids and being at peace with that has not been easy for me.

There's an amazing photo project that has helped me keep things in perspective.  The photographer has taken pictures of children around the world where they sleep.  Here's a link to it:
Where Children Sleep

The other night as I was putting my kids to bed I sort of jokingly said, "Can you believe that some kids have to sleep in their own rooms?!" Amazingly they were horrified. J. stated, "Oh mommy we would never want to do that!  We like being together!". I'm not naive to think this sentiment will last forever, but my children are content with where they live, and I know I need to follow their lead.  Lately I honestly can say that I am.