What Does Your Measuring Stick Look Like?

    Whether it be monetary wealth, wealth of intelligence and knowledge, wealth of friends and family or wealth in leisure, abundance is our measuring stick for success. It's a cycle that never ends, sucking in everyone and everything along its path. As a part of today's society, everyone of us longs to be successful and every time we think we've reached success, someone else trumps us, putting us back into the race to fight some more only to be disappointed all over again. We are aware of the consequences of our actions and the likelihood that we will never be the best or the most of anything, but we continue on through the blood, sweat and tears.
    Why then is it so hard for us to give up? Why is it so unpopular to sit back, relax, let it go and measure our success by other standards?
    In the Christian life we are asked to think in the opposite direction. Christ directs us to go against the grain, to not conform to the ways of the world and to not adapt to their ways of thinking, all of which seem to point towards a hopeless cause. But it doesn't have to be if our goals are based on other foundations. Success is not abundance in the way that the world refers to it, but an unseen heavenly abundance. When we break out of the worldly cycle, we focus less on ourselves and our achievements and more on Christ and the blessings that we receive from Him, to no credit of our own.
    Why then is this seemingly 'easy' plan so difficult to follow? Because as we take a hold of this concept and force our way through the crowd, with every step we are confronted and challenged, told to turn around and go with the flow. But if we turn our eyes upon the one who knows what success truly is, we will get through all of the pushing, shoving and suggesting of others and end up on the other side with something that is immeasurable.
    A values centered life, in a world that is constantly measuring us, is one founded on Jesus Christ.

Community

An ideal community would be just that: a community. A place where people help each other stand up instead of pushing them down to get ahead; a place where people work together instead of against each other; a place where people realize that the consequences of their actions not only effect them, but those around them as well; a place where people know their neighbor’s name; and a place where there is always someone to rely on. No, an ideal community is not like Pleasantville, one of wary perfection, because in perfection there is no room for growth. An ideal community is one of hardship and triumph, happiness and sadness, and selfless service.

In an ideal community, people would be conscientious of the world around them, aware of the suffering and pain going in far away places, not allowing themselves to just stand by and let the world turn. Life wouldn’t have to be so hard; it could be cushioned by the reliability of the family and friends around us. Instead of hoarding our monetary and intellectual wealth we would share it in whatever form suits each particular situation. We would invest our time into teaching the poor how to escape from their current realities and how to create new ones; and orphaned children would be feed both food and knowledge and be given the opportunity to be wanted and loved.

The existence of such a community would be based not upon the increasing individualism of our reality today, but upon the simplicity of a world without disruptive media. Morals and values would be upheld and played out in every day life and selfless service would not come out of obligation, but out of want and desire to help their fellow neighbor.

Churches and community centers would be a main focus. In these centers, soup kitchens would be organized, homeless would be housed, abandoned children would be cared for and counseling would be offered for those wanting to be heard. Different community service projects would always be on schedule, as well as classes on how to organize your finances, find and keep a job, and other life skills.

Such centers do exist today, but are in low attendance. In an ideal community, this would be the center of the community, the home base for neighborhood barbeques and town hall meetings, linking each member of the community into the web of diverse individuals.

This sense of community would not be exclusive, but inclusive, with its members yearning to spread their knowledge and care. It would be regular practice for these community centers to become a mobile community that would not only focus on its local members but also on potential members of other worlds; giving them the opportunity to experience a sense of belonging within their local communities.

Everyone would be of unique importance, with no one overlooked or forgotten. Absences would be noticed, because of each individual’s role in the community; in hardships, an individual would know that they are not alone and would have others to turn to; family units would be pertinent, the birthplace of morals, values and service; and religion would be a part of daily life.

A community like this may seem life a far stretch compared to the world we live in today, but it wouldn’t have to be if we focused more on the sharing message of Christ instead of our individual motives. Fortunately many of the aspects of this community do exist, but apparently not simultaneously. But that is not to say that we can’t continue to do our part in moving forward towards such a community: a place where poverty can be overcome with the power of community and selflessness.