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"Frugality is a virtue, but you get further without it." This mocking German proverb was once applied to young bridal couples, especially those from "bourgeois" backgrounds who wanted to emulate the (then) aristocratic upper class in their purchases. The saying "All show and no substance" also comes from the same era. Such proverbs originated in Prussia, whose natural resources were scarce and whose population, despite hard work, was relatively poor (yet happy). "Prussian thrift and German diligence" was the catchphrase used abroad to describe the character of Germans. Ah, yes, those were the days...
The post-war period (1946-1966) is now long gone, and the three great "waves"—the eating wave, the consumer wave, and the travel wave—have so permanently swept over the German people that these very attitudes have become commonplace. It's called "quality of life" and is considered a "fundamental right," to which, of course, even a welfare recipient is entitled. (Those readers who have internalized this view should, for the sake of their peace of mind, stop reading now and quickly watch a good film on YouTube.)
When the coming King and Judge of the World uttered the famous (and often ignored) words, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), He already envisioned the last generation. When His chosen servant and minister, Paul, formulated the lesser-known words , “But if we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:8), the Eternal One already knew how many in the last generation would find their wealth shackles that the Antichrist would exploit. And He already knew the sincerely meant response of many who are now reading these lines that they possess neither luxury goods nor do food, travel, or other status symbols play a significant role in their lives.
Dear brothers and sisters in faith, what do the word "luxury" and the expression "to play a role" mean? In a country where almost everything is somehow affordable, almost everything is also taken for granted or considered normal. Home furnishings that were considered luxurious and elegant 30 years ago are now seen as rather "poor" or "modest"! A comparative example: Shortly after the reunification of West and East Germany, the range of Western goods, especially food, seemed "abundant" and even "overloaded" to people in East Germany.
The same people, only 30 years older, complain today when this or that type of sausage is no longer available. A Chilean asylum seeker (who himself had lived on welfare) once told me: "There are no truly poor people in Germany." Indeed: For people who live hand to mouth, having enough bread, rice/potatoes, and milk is already a sign of wealth. For us pampered creatures of affluence (the writer of these lines included), poverty begins when chocolate and vanilla shampoo are unavailable.
Objectively, dear reader, you can examine how attached you are to your current standard of living by imagining: What if suddenly no meat were available in stores (because, let's say, some nasty virus had infected all the slaughterhouses)? That would be a truly horrific vision for the average German! But for many millions of our fellow believers, it's normal.
What if suddenly there were no more high-quality clothes to buy (because, for environmental reasons, only recyclable synthetic fabrics were allowed)? What if fuel were suddenly rationed and there was a Sunday driving ban (like during the major oil crisis in the 1970s)? Do we realize how constrained we are because we've simply become accustomed to many convenient things?
In recent months, government measures have given us a taste of how difficult it can be to forgo things we take for granted. As long as the shortages don't affect us personally (e.g., a specific medication is unavailable), they don't affect us. But what happens when fundamental aspects of our consumption patterns are (or have to be) restricted?
The devout Christians in our country can be divided into two groups: Some say to themselves, "Why restrict myself? If it becomes necessary, I'll get used to it and think about it." The author of these lines knows contemporaries who say, "I eat as much as I need. If I develop diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, or some other lifestyle disease, then I'll change my eating habits." And I also know those who actually do just that—unfortunately, they've already suffered a stroke, heart attack, and damaged knees and are struggling to get to the doctor with a walker.
The others, a small minority, are already practicing: "I need to try giving up this or that – maybe it'll become relevant someday." The author of these lines also knows several contemporaries who follow a different dietary style – for reasons that are by no means truly "spiritual." Fashion and certainly a certain "exaggerated" weariness of modern life play a role. But still: even at the age of 85, they cycle past the pharmacy and (unfortunately) only go in to pick up a pharmacy magazine with crossword puzzles.
It is truly sad that in some ways people who do not believe in God are wiser and more far-sighted than God's children! We, in particular, are all too familiar with the admonitions to be spiritually and not carnally minded – we, in particular, often hear sermons (such as about the "rich young man") that personal, excessive possessions consume the spiritual strength for truly following Jesus.
And yet: Only a few manage to overcome their reluctance to exercise voluntary self-discipline; most don't even strive for it.
To this group of my readers I will tell the following true story:
I once had the dubious "pleasure" of helping an elderly, affluent lady clear out her apartment (she had to move into a nursing home). Right before her eyes, her entire high-quality living room furniture was put through the trash compactor. Nobody wanted it, not even as a gift – everyone we asked said it wasn't good enough.
But it nearly broke her heart (that wall unit cost 6,500 DM!) when the steel press gleefully crushed her furniture ("From sawdust you were taken and to sawdust you will return—even if you are antique gold mahogany!"). What was left for the old lady in the nursing home? I don't know. She died a few months later.
To another group, I have this to say: Do you need that annual trip to Mallorca, Croatia, or Chicago to show your relatives beautiful photos? Do you need those gold-trimmed, snow-white IKEA furniture pieces because they're the only ones that make you feel comfortable? Do you have to have the best, no matter the price (because only the best is good enough for you, right?)? Do you need this or that first-class cosmetic product for your face? Yes, by all means, buy it all. You just need it.
I have no words for the small, spiritually minded minority. They don't need such things. They know their own worth! Even without all that frills!
Herbert Richter
Municipality of Braunschweig
A valuable trouser pocket…
What treasures one possessed as a child! Just look at the pockets of an eight-year-old boy. I remember so clearly how mine were emptied one evening: a piece of copper wire, a smoothly polished stone, a little boat half-carved from bark. All things that were very precious to me, yet my parents considered them nothing more than junk that would tear my pockets, especially that precious copper wire! There were tears when my mother started clearing things out, her value system cutting into my childish heart.
Later, one continually adjusts the value of the possessions to which one is attached, yet remains with all one's heart a person who "collects treasures that rust and moths devour".
We often act like eight-year-olds whose mother empties their pockets when God takes away things we hold dear. At first, we only perceive the immense loss. But we must learn—often very slowly—to recognize what God wants to give us in place of what he has taken away. Is our conception of God so pathetically pagan that, superstitious like the pagans who have no hope, we know only "the envy of the gods," believing that God takes pleasure and interest in destroying and taking things from us in order to impoverish and abandon us? Has he not spoken to us, through his Son, Jesus Christ, of "life and abundance"?
To be clear, we are not even thinking about the enormous, mysterious guidance that can befall us; we are thinking about the trifles of everyday life, the trinkets and knick-knacks that make our eyes sparkle without giving us anything.
If we want the power of the Holy Spirit to take effect, we must create space. Sometimes a door can't be fully opened because a piece of furniture is in the way. It's up to us to examine what's obstructing the flow of God's Spirit. If we take this admonition seriously and don't turn away as if we know everything, then a great blessing can arise from this clearing work. And joy will enter our lives.
Ferdinand Sigg, 1902-1965
From "Speaking in Pictures", Christian Publishing House Stuttgart