By this I mean just living temporarily, "making do". This blog post succinctly describes how missionaries can tend to do that (it's a series, and the previous post is good too).
It's easy for us to act like that when we're in Australia. We're only here for a year, so it's easy to have a temporary mindset. Getting a balance between that and investing too much isn't easy. In general we're investing ourselves in people, not in stuff. But we haven't skimped on getting a decent fridge and freezer, for example. We have suitable accommodation (even if I long for an extra bathroom somedays). But I'm not buying pot plants or doing any renovations.
I wonder if people think that we live like we're camping-out in Japan? I don't mean literally, rather with an attitude like that. Actually now we've been there 12 years, we haven't heard Australians express the idea that this is a temporary journey as often as in the past.
Most people, if they take the time to think, will realise that our most settled place is Japan. That's where we have most of our "earthly treasures". But it is also where we've invested more time. Next year we'll be moving back to the same house we've been living in for the last four years. That's going to feel even more settled, not at all camping-out.
Have you ever had a time in your life that you had an unhealthy camping-out mentality?
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