A holly jolly RADICAL Christmas

I've been giving a lot of thought to the following scripture lately.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
My constant struggle between the things of this world and the things of eternity rages on.  For so long, I've been able to abide somewhere in the middle of the struggle.  I love God, but I also love "things."  Black Friday brought out some very interesting emotions in me.  I'm not throwing out any judgements here.  I am all for the people out trying to score some deals because they are living within their means and they want to provide some nice gifts under the tree.  I am also completely supportive of the groups of friends or family members that do black friday as an activity that brings them laughter and memories.  Unfortunately, greed is also represented on that day and that is where I have the big problem.  I don't believe that you'll go to a large retail outlet on any other day and expect to see people kicking...yes...kicking their goods down the aisle.  They don't want to grab a cart (couldn't fit one through the aisles anyway) so they grab as many things as their hands can hold and they kick the rest to the checkout lane.  Two years ago, I saw a man kicking a large flat screen tv out through the parking lot.  He was, no doubt, flying high on adrenaline after scoring one of the 3 low priced tvs.  But, how much do you love something if you are kicking it out to the parking lot?
I think the thing that bothered me so much this year is that my eyes have been opened to the severe needs the rest of the world faces on a daily basis.  There are large groups of people struggling to feed their children or procure medicines for them and we are buying crap that we'll throw in a  garage sale in a year.   We line up for hours to buy cheap plastic items, but when we're asked to give money to feed or send children to school, we lower our heads, try not to look anyone in the eye and say..."well, you know...money is really tight this year...the economy and all..."
A fear has been plaguing me lately.  Where do I fall in the scripture i mentioned above?  Do I love God?  Or do I love money and the things money can do for me?  Why do I live in a beautiful home with running water, electricity, tons of food, and medical care five minutes away?
Luke 12:48 is heavy on my heart today.
"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
That's me!  I've been given so much.  I have the truth.  I have had love.  I have had every comfort known to man.  What is my response?
I'm praying about this.  I am trying to continuously thank God for the wonderful comforts I have.  But, I'm also asking what He expects from me.  I want to show His love every day and I want God to know that my decision is easy.  I choose Him.  I don't choose earthly possessions.  I choose Him.  If God asks me to take more children into this home and show them the love that their Heavenly Father has for them, I WILL DO IT!  If He someday asks me to travel to a foreign land and spend the rest of my days showering love on orphans, I WILL DO IT!  This life is short and RADICAL is the only way to live.  
Dad, if you are reading this, breathe into a paper bag.  I won't ask you to babysit a village. :)
So, that's it.  You can agree with me or not.  But, I'm just going to put it out there...Be part of something amazing this Christmas.  Obviously, my heart is burning for the 147 million orphans out there.  Is yours?  Maybe you aren't in the place to bring one home to live with you.  But, if your heart burns for that too, you could help someone else bring an orphan home.  Adoption is a very expensive endeavor.  This is not a shameless plug for money.  I'm just encouraging you to find a way to make a real difference this year...one that will last.  Pray about what God would put in your path and go make a radical difference for someone this year.  I can guarantee that instead of ending up in a yard sale or goodwill, your investment will end up looking for you behind the gates of Heaven.  Have a radical Christmas season!  Love to you all!!
jill