Living without

Our internet connection has been out for the better part of the last five days. It is interesting how we don't realize our dependence on something until it is gone! We've thought a lot about "living without" while here in France. There are small things we've lived without since we arrived like a printer, a garbage disposal, a functioning vacuum, an efficient washer and dryer, a roomy refrigerator, good quality cookware and tools, convenient shopping of any kind, easy access to our house, many foods we were accustomed to eating regularly, resources like babysitters and cleaning ladies, cell phones/blackberry and a reliable internet connection. There are also big things we've lived without while here in France like the ability to communicate (for the majority of us), good health, friends/family, our own home and its comforts, and a clear picture of our future. I'll admit that for awhile it wasn't easy for me! It seems that as humans we seek fulfillment in comforts, things, conveniences, relationships, etc., to make us feel secure and happy. That is why we keep after them so earnestly! And that is why it is initially so uncomfortable when we don't have them. We have gone through a lot of introspection and had many discussions about the dependence we have had and have on "things", and learning to live without them. Many positive things have come from living without. One is learning that we can. We've become more resourceful, creative and content in making do with what we do have. We rely on God, and each other to sustain us when things aren't easy. We've become deeply grateful for the smallest things (like getting American socks for my birthday or Adele hearing an English speaker across the market). Could we have learned this without this drastic change in our lives and environment? Probably. Would we have learned it? Who knows. Geoff and I both feel that one of the greatest gifts of our French experience is that while living without all these things we are sustained and fulfilled in our spiritual relationship with God, and we don't feel we lack for anything.