Revolting!

I just finished reading Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting by Dorcas Smucker. My aunt was the one who first referred this book to me. She told me that she thought of me as she read it.

Hmmm...was it because the author is Mennonite? Or because she has a tribe of children? Was it because of her connection to Kenya and her adopted Kenyan son? All of these reasons?

With all of these reasons, I have to say I was at first drawn to the book mostly because of the title. I so wish I had thought of it first. I love it for all of its implications. There are days when the peasants are revolting because of a family decision which they find too restrictive or incomprehensible. Other days the peasants are just plain revolting either because of their behavior, lack of grooming, or choice of activity. Some days they are revolting (descriptive) and revolting (action) at the very same time.

In the end I enjoyed this quick read (I started it this morning and just finished it) mostly for the last chapter which chronicles the family's voyage into family missions at an orphanage in Kenya and the subsequent adoption of one of the boys there. Boy can I related to the author's desire to "...give our children an accurate perspective on how blessed they are in relation to most of the world. How do we teach them that their blessings come from God with a responsibility to use them wisely and share with others? And how do we teach them that other cultures have much to teach us, and that every person in the world is as valid and valuable as they are?"

I ask myself these same things frequently, summed up for me in one all-encompassing question: How can we as a family combat the American ideals of consumerism, materialism, and entitlement? The answer often seems vague and too difficult to attain yet we press on. The reality is that we're all on a journey of seeing our American life through God's eyes rather than our own. We can't look to our neighbors to find the answer, Christian or otherwise. We can only look to God to reveal to us our blindspots and entanglements.

And then we can sell all we have, give to the poor, and move to some third world country to serve in an orphanage and adopt all the kids there.

Just kidding, Kids.

I think.