by Aubrey Hitt
I looked at the giant trashcan that was once full of water and marveled at how fast it had emptied; that water was what we just used to flush our toilet.
According to the Population reference bureau, 20% of the world’s population consumes 80% of the world’s resources. When we went from being part of the 20% to being surrounded by the people who received so little, I started to notice the value of conserving what we’ve been given. I’m used to thinking I’m “going green” when I recycle my paper, but now I have had to radically change my definition. When we were asked to conserve as much of our water as possible and be conscious of how many resources we use in general, I didn’t realize how difficult that would be.
As an American, I am used to using gallons of water every day on one shower, but being here and trying to conserve we now turn off the water between lathering and rinsing. We have also perfected the art of using the minimum amount of internet when we check our e-mails. We log off, write out our reply on Microsoft Word, then log back on and paste it to the email just so we don’t have to spend the entire time online. Plastic water bottles, though simple and in abundance, become precious commodities when you live where you can’t always find clean water, or where your water depends on pumps that depend on electricity. I always save my water bottles for when the electricity goes out so I can still brush my teeth at night.
Recycling takes on a whole new meaning here. Kids like to use water bottles, a stick, and container lids to make their toys. I remember my mom, a teacher for three-year-olds and expert on kids’ toys, once telling me that kids will be given this really expensive toy but when there is a simple, big box in sight, the expensive toy is forgotten in favor of the box. I can see the truth in that statement here in Zambia as well: what we think of as trash isn’t trash, it has the potential to be a kid’s favorite toy.
Although we might look at these kids playing with dirty water bottles and sticks and think how poor they are, we need to understand how joyful these people are. Having a lack of materials or resources does not mean a lack of blessings, joy, or love. On the contrary, the people here use what little they have and share it with one another.They joyfully take the little they have to glorify God. While sitting in a mud bricked, thatched roofed church on benches made of dirt we view the people of that congregation as poor, but they have been so joyful. They shout “Amen” after almost everything. After the worship service and greeting line, they stayed together and danced to their praise songs. They were filled with joy even though they had very little, materially speaking.
Although I still have many more resources than most people here, I have started to learn from them how to be more conscious of my resources. The most important thing these people are teaching me is how to be joyful even when I don’t have everything I want. Although these people don’t have many possessions here on earth, they are being equipped with a glimpse of the joy they will experience in heaven. Because they have few treasures on earth the treasures they receive in heaven will be that much greater (Matthew 19:21) and their inheritance in heaven will last them for eternity (1 Peter 1:4).
Learning to be responsible with the things we’ve been given, and trying to be less of the 20% keeps our gaze on more important things. I don’t need to have my light on continuously, keep my phone plugged in every day, or even have running water to find joy in Christ. I just need a willing heart and a church family surrounding me to remember that love and joy are the most blessed treasure of all.1
- The title of this post comes from 2 Corinthians 6:10 ↩
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