Balance?

This is a great video interview between Bono and Bill Hybels (admittedly I'd never heard of this guy before, but apparently he's a pretty big deal). Bono talks about the Church and its response to the poor and suffering. He specifically addresses AIDS.



Lately I've been trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing in this world (okay, aren't we all?) But I've just got this itch that I need to be living differently. And I know in my head that as a member of the body of Christ, I am supposed to care for the poor. I want to care for the poor. But I often don't know how or to what extent. It seems like helping the poor is a lifestyle, not something you just do for a couple hours a week. How can I balance my commitments in life (wife and mother being the big ones) with helping the poor? How much is "enough"? Like, on one hand we could pack up the family and move to Mexico to live among the poor. On the other hand, I can donate money to sponsor kids in poverty and give my tithe to my church who helps the poor. It doesn't feel like that involves enough commitment or sacrifice though. But moving to Mexico (or wherever) seems like "too" much of a sacrifice (if is there such a thing?). I find a lot of fulfillment in serving the people I know where I am right now. So leaving it all behind to become some kind of missionary seems crazy to me. But if its the story that God has called all Christians to live, then what am I thinking passing up the opportunity to live the most fulfilling life possible?

I'm sure there's middle ground here. But it almost seems like the middle ground is the hardest one to choose because you have to balance everything--living in America with all the pressures to succeed, have money, and be pretty, but simultaneously serving the poor and living differently than most people. Those pressures wouldn't be so high if we lived among the poor. But living among the poor involves all sorts of sacrifices I couldn't even list here.

I wish there was some way to gracefully close this post. But there's no resolution, at least on my end. For now.