Does Privilege Hinder My Faith?

If you know me, you know that I've travel to several countries in the last ten years of my life. I continue to go because God continues to lead me. One thing that I've learned through my many excursions is that I can never stop going. If I stop, I'm afraid I'll lose the perspective that I've gained from my time in these other cultures. I have learned something significant from each of the cultures I've experienced, and this knowledge has made me very aware.

Now, I am very aware that I lead a life of privilege. I have a job, my own office, air conditioning everywhere I go, my own car, a stove, a floor in my home, a washing machine, and countless other things that I have grown up believing were "needs." These things are not needs but privileges. I'm aware that the amount of money I've paid for my car (just a saturn) could be enough to pay an overseas salary in certain places for decades. I'm aware there are many places without running water or people with enough to eat. All of this awareness drives me to my knees in prayer, because I realize how selfish I am. Even with everything I know, I still complain about the most trivial things in my life.

Don't get me wrong, I love my country, but sometimes we have to recognize that we don't have it all figured out. My society tells me to look out for number one, to do what makes me happy, and to make sure I get what I want out of my life. These are not necessarily bad things, but I meet a lot of unsatisfied and unhappy people here.

Thankfully, each of the countries I've visited abroad have taught me the complete opposite. They have shown me that family and friends are more important than my schedule, to put other people and their feelings before myself, and hospitality in the face of poverty. These things continue to profoundly affect my life and my thinking; I'm glad I've had the opportunity to meet such great people (of course there are great people here too).

Privileges are not bad, but I know a lot of joyful people with dirt floors and no cars. I want to know in my heart that if my stuff suddenly went away, I would still have joy.