Back in civilization?

We have returned from our Xingu River boat trip. What are your priorities? What are mine? I would like to think that my priority is serving the Lord and then my family but I realize that being an American my priority is possessions. No matter what I say, do, or how I act and speak, my life is identified by what I possess or desire to possess. Traveling the Xingu we stopped at the home of a family who possessed very little. They ate fish for most meals, washed their dishes, clothes and themselves in the river. That morning the husband had captured a sloth. . .he "possessed"something, something that would make his life very different in a small way. You see that sloth meant a meal that wasn't fish, it didn't matter that we provided meat to him, the sloth was still destined for dinner. His priorities were to get something to eat besides fish. My priorities are possibly a raise, good health, a nice car, a few toys . . . . is this correct? What if my priorities were to serve the Lord? No matter what, serve the Lord wherever He calls, would I answer and make it my priority? I doubt it, possessions make that possibility an impossibility for most of us. How could I begin to get rid of everything, move somewhere away from my family, learn a new language and start to serve the Lord? All Americans need time away from their possessions, our family always slept in a tent on vacations, your priorities change and you get joy from very simple pleasures. Today, few young families travel by sleeping in a tent, roughing it is the bargain trip to the beach in Mexico where someone waits on you hand and foot. There is no gaining appreciation for home because you have traveled to a place with even more comfort than you had at home. This doesn't allow the Lord to help you think about your priorities, it simply makes you think about your comfort and how thankful you are for air conditioning. Forget about the human condition around you, for most of us, it is all about ME!