natural vista and my wallet
I am currently sitting on a small deck outside of a condo, enjoying a full view of the Charlevoix lakeshore. I can see the dim, thin shadow of Beaver Island far in the distance. The mostly overcast sky holds either a bit of rain or a spectacular sunset; possibly both.
We took a stroll across the drawbridge to shop and/or people-watch. I purchased an iced mocha for $4.24. We walked along the boardwalk, admiring the large and expensive yachts with names like “Summer Semester”, “Aquasition”, or “Fancy Free.”
Charlevoix is a beautiful town, full of multi-million dollar houses, boats, and boathouses. I’ve always enjoyed it here. But yet, my question is this. Americans have a lot of money; and yes, I believe we are allowed to enjoy our wealth. But to what extent? Theologies of Sabbath, community, and humanitarianism collide in schedules and in pocketbooks.
I’m not anticipating a black-and-white, dogmatic answer…although it would be nice if Jesus left me a voicemail, giving me a percentage breakdown of where my money needs to go…even a monetary limit on vacation spending. But no, there is no easy answer. I love yachts; I’m not sure I could ever purchase one [assuming I had the money]. However, not every yacht-owner is ‘sinning’ because of their purchase.
I firmly believe that social awareness is not enough; if we love others, we are called to social action in one capacity or another [big or small, monetary, participatory or otherwise]. So, the tension of the day: money, leisure, and humanitarianism. Thoughts, anyone?
We took a stroll across the drawbridge to shop and/or people-watch. I purchased an iced mocha for $4.24. We walked along the boardwalk, admiring the large and expensive yachts with names like “Summer Semester”, “Aquasition”, or “Fancy Free.”
Charlevoix is a beautiful town, full of multi-million dollar houses, boats, and boathouses. I’ve always enjoyed it here. But yet, my question is this. Americans have a lot of money; and yes, I believe we are allowed to enjoy our wealth. But to what extent? Theologies of Sabbath, community, and humanitarianism collide in schedules and in pocketbooks.
I’m not anticipating a black-and-white, dogmatic answer…although it would be nice if Jesus left me a voicemail, giving me a percentage breakdown of where my money needs to go…even a monetary limit on vacation spending. But no, there is no easy answer. I love yachts; I’m not sure I could ever purchase one [assuming I had the money]. However, not every yacht-owner is ‘sinning’ because of their purchase.
I firmly believe that social awareness is not enough; if we love others, we are called to social action in one capacity or another [big or small, monetary, participatory or otherwise]. So, the tension of the day: money, leisure, and humanitarianism. Thoughts, anyone?