Simplicity: The aspect of Sacrifice

Friday night of this past group week a few of us we having our discussion about how to take this experience home and extend it beyond Nazareth Farm the place. One of the chaperones brought up a very interesting point about sacrifice.

Oftentimes we think about coming to Nazareth Farm and having to "sacrifice" so much - we have technology taken away from us, we are limited how many showers we take (some are even outside), we do our best to not have waste on our worksites, we compost, etc. And to many that is a form of sacrifice, especially those who don't live that sort of lifestyle or who may be visiting the Farm for the first time. However, to a certain extent, that form of simplicity is what calls us to a better understanding of sacrifice and the world around us.

What we may not realize is that the blessings of technology, a seemingly endless water supply, and others often call us to sacrifice other factors or life. How often do we spend too much time checking our email, goofing around on facebook, playing video games, taking showers that are too long instead of spending time with someone or doing something nice for someone else? Whether we realize it or not, in those situations we become so engrossed in our blessings that we sacrifice other things in our lives. This is clearly an example of a negative sacrifice.

Don't be fooled though - if we use these blessings properly while still focusing on what's important to us in life and what God is calling us to then we don't necessarily have to completely remove those blessings. Things like facebook and video games can be used to build community. The challenge those is to make sure we aren't too engrossed in these things that make life less simple, those things that distract us from dedicating ourselves to God and God's calling in our lives.

So this week - ask yourself, where can I live a simpler life so that I am not sacrificing what is important to me? Am I too engrossed in my blessings? What is God calling me to at this point in my life? How can I further live out the cornerstones of simplicity, prayer, community and service?