Taking the "Miss" Out of Missionary Kids

I've read a few articles lately on the Desiring God website about the "missionary advantage." You should read them, too.

This week was the final one of last month's budget, and it was fairly tight. Not bad, just tight. We still had enough coins to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a semi-Irish fashion, and today was payday, so no worries. We didn't worry. Anyway, thinking about money as Amy and I have been, we discussed what I'll call the "missionary kid advantage." Observe:

• Missionary kids generally grow up without a lot of the modern material trappings (note the connotations of the word "trappings). This gives an opportunity for them not to think of a third pair of shoes as something they need. Money is nice, but not necessary.
• Missionary kids generally grow up with their parents being given support. The money they make is less "theirs" to the carnal eye of people like me. This gives the kids a chance to think in terms of all things being given to us for a season, all through the blessing of others (particular One Other) and through no work of our own. Innumerable parallels.
• Missionary kids generally grow up in places where luxury is uncommon. This is not the same as the first point. What I'm getting at here is this: when material blessings are rarer, they are more gratefully received. Missionary kids have the gift of seeing their giftedness.
• Finally, missionary kids often see the need for giving. Their parents live off of giving. The kids themselves live off of giving. They are surrounded by the work of feeding the hungry, speaking to the unevangelized, and loving the unloved. They see the money at work, not just in the offering plate, and they know it does good.

This may not be applicable to you, but I think it gives some useful points to parents (or future parents, like us). Live the missional lifestyle, even if you're not in the third world. Your children will be surrounded by a more appropriate understanding of money than that offered by mainstream society.