Clothes: Day 7 - What To Do

Now I am torn.
This study has me realizing how much I have as a middle-class American. Right now as I write this, I have clothes on my back (the same ones I wore yesterday, incidentally), my belly is full from supper, our home's AC unit is warding off the oppressive summer heat, and I'm drinking a comforting cup of decaf coffee in an attempt to relieve my raw, sickly throat. Am I blessed? Undoubtedly! Do I live a luxurious life? On an international scale, yes.
However, on an American scale, no. My husband and I both have to work to make ends meet. Today I had to stretch our budget to cover two weeks of food for my small family until the next paycheck comes. Our cars are paid for, thankfully, but one of them is on its last leg. So we're scraping together our nickels and dimes each month to save for a replacement soon.

I am not saying all of that to complain. I'm really not. My life is better than most, and God has given me every blessing and every luxury I claim. And as a thoroughly blessed believer, I am called to give and to share my resources with the less fortunate, with the widows and orphans, with friends and family as they need it. How many times did Jesus say say to drop everything and follow Him; sell your possessions and give them away?
So here is where I am torn. What is this supposed to look like for a middle-class American? Can I continue to follow Dave Ramsey's plan for financial freedom and still be an obedient and wise steward of God's blessings? Or do I have to leave my American heritage, family, and friends behind to move to an impoverished country to truly serve the Lord? I get that I have excess.  I get that I have more than enough to live and thrive on, especially compared to other countries.

I get it.

My American dollar can probably feed a family of four somewhere else, but here in America I can barely buy a can of vegetables with it.
I realize these are all "first-world problems." And I know that I sound stuck up, arrogant, and entitled. I'm only trying to sort out my convictions and my realizations. I am convicted by all the "stuff" I have. I am convicted by the food I let go to waste. I am convicted by my freedom to worship and my lack of discipline and enthusiasm to do so. Most of all, I am convicted that all these things are preventing me from allowing God to be in total control of my life.

I am sorry for the confusing ramblings. To sum up, God is working on me, speaking to me, slowly wooing my spirit to inch closer to His will and his Love.

-Heather