What a Hypocrite I AM

Dear God,

It’s Lent and my sidekick is pointing out how much of a hypocrite I am. You see, we had the possibility of having a nice coffee machine at work that made a latte that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was put to a staff vote and only three of us voted in favour of having that machine at work… I was one of them.

Others, including my sidekick (I won’t mention that it is Drew), saw it as excessive and not a good thing for an organisation like TEAR Fund. I have tried to rationalise it by convincing myself that excess is a relative term.

My sidekick also noted that we have been promoting simple living, denying ourselves and sacrifice so that we can better serve the poor and oppressed… that this has been the focus of our lent journal. He is right. So when he says that there is a certain amount of hyprocrisy in my vote for the coffee machine… he is right. I want to question him on owning more than one house and three cars (he did say they are all small cars)… but I won’t because there’s a bigger question that I am pondering that I would love your thoughts on.

Excess is somewhat relative. My lifestyle is simple compared to some but extravagant compared to others, especially those I endeavour to help. A coffee machine is excessive for some… but some businesses have built in cafes with full time baristas. My question is, what is justifiable and what is not? How do we define whether we have engaged excess? Is there a way of knowing or is it simply a tension we must live in and always be aware of? Should we just always be challenging ourselves in the face of a world focused on consuming? How far should we let that challenge go and how far should we let it inform our lives? How much should we simplify?

The tension makes me uncomfortable and I am a hyprocrite… heck, if we live in relative wealth and can read this on a computer screen and we’re any person trying to help the disadvatanged in this world, there’s probably a certain amount of hypocrisy in all of us. That hypocrisy is something I must stare in the face continuously and lent is a great time to go through that examination of myself.

Thanks for taking the time to listen. I ask that you just keep walking with me. Change me and shape me.

Amen

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