Needs and Wants

This time of year many people start thinking about the things they want.
My kids start getting pushed by their grandparents for Christmas lists.
We sat around my cousin's dining table yesterday going over the ads, looking at things we wanted and joked about if they were things we needed or wanted.

There are a lot of things I want, but in the scheme of everything else, there isn't anything I need.

I want a new stovetop. A wonderful gas 5 burner would be lovely. But, do I need it? Nope. Anytime I get grumpy about the one I have all it takes is a thought of the little house up in the mountains of China where Aaron, Stephie, Cassie and I stayed one weekend. They cooked our food on an open fire in their kitchen. That was their stovetop. That was also the only thing in their kitchen except for a table.

An oven with a door that really closed properly would also be lovely. But, do I need it? Nope. I know people that use old oil drums for their ovens. The majority of people in the world don't have ovens. My oven is a luxury.

The plumbing in our house is old and creaky. Comes from being in an older home and living on the ever shifting North Texas soil. I really don't think God ever intended house to be built on this stuff. Dealing with this plumbing can get really frustrating. Our guest bathroom makes me crazy if I let it. I would love to rip it all out and start over. But, you know what? I've got indoor plumbing. I don't have to walk to the neighborhood well or go to the creek to get my water. In another country we had to climb over two fences and squat over the openings in the floor while sharing the space with a pig. My indoor plumbing with clean running water is a luxury. Wanting better plumbing is a want, but it isn't a need.

I want a new camera. I've always loved photography, but I can't really pinpoint my motives for having one, so it is definitely a want, a luxury. I would probably waste a lot of time with it. I've got lots of friends that are fabulously talented photographers. I'll just enjoy their photos.

I want a Wilton icing thingy-a-bob like Lacey has. But, I want it just because I think it is really cool and fun. Lacey uses hers all the time because baking and decorating is one of Lacey's gifts and how she blesses people. My motives aren't pure like that. So, I am trying to convince myself that I don't want one. I know I definitely don't need one. Not even sure I would use it all that often. It would be a waste of money for me to have one. Most of the people in the world can't even afford to buy one frosted cupcake.

Today more than a billion people in the world live and die in desperate poverty. They attempt to survive on less than a dollar per day. Close to two billion others live on less than two dollars per day. That's nearly half the world struggling today to find food, water, and shelter with the same amount of money I spend on french fries for lunch. David Platt in his book, Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream - Radical

Needs and wants. They're different.
Lots of things I want. Nothing I need.