Prosperity Guilt

I’m trying to think of a way to describe the feeling. Perhaps I have concocted a new phrase when I refer to it as “prosperity guilt.” It’s that emotion you feel when you return home from a mission trip to a foreign country and you open the refrigerator for the first time. I experienced prosperity guilt upon my return from a recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic. I’m reminded of the people I met there every time I open the fridge, drink water from the tap, take a warm shower, flush a toilet, adjust the air conditioner, flip the light switch, or eat a meal from a full plate. Many of my friends in the Dominican are not afforded these privileges. Our team stopped at an indoor/outdoor fast food restaurant of some sort on our bus trip from the capital to Vicente Noble. A gentleman who was not an employee there offered to clean our tables when we were finished but did not ask for money. As we departed, we noticed he was eating our scraps, carefully nibbling every chicken morsel from the bone before moving to the next plate. Folks in the Dominican Republic don’t seem to get upset when the power goes out, as it does several times a day. But they let out a huge cheer when the power comes back on. We were told by the full-time missionary there that instead of being irritated when the electricity is off, they are thankful when it’s on. All a matter of perspective. We bought ice cream one day for some small children who were hanging out by the church where we were working. One little girl dropped her cone straight into the drainage area of the half-paved street within seconds of receiving the prized gift. Without hesitation she scooped it up and kept on licking. We would have bought her another one but she wasn’t taking any chances. We had little problem getting the local kids to come to Bible school at the church. The challenge was getting them to leave. One day we had the bright idea to take snacks out the front door and hope they would follow. Not only did they follow, but they created a mob scene. Pushing, shoving, and even hitting occurred as they fought for the prize- a single cracker each. For the first time in my life, I truly understood the value of a cheese cracker that day. Late one night a boy on the street who looked to be about nine years old came up and asked me for money. My local friend said I should not give him anything because it would contribute to him being a beggar. I inquired of my friend where the boy’s parents might be and where he would stay that night. I was told that he- like many kids in the town- likely had no parents. Then he pointed to a bench in the local park and indicated that he would spend the night there if he was lucky. I don’t think God wants me or anybody else to experience prosperity guilt. But I do think He wants us to appreciate daily every gift He provides from above. And I don’t think He has too much sympathy for us when we complain. It’s all a matter of perspective.