The longing to be a part of something bigger

No matter what my official "job title" is, I will always look at the world through the lens of a counselor. One of my favorite counseling theorists argues that all people must satisfy 4 primary needs:
1. For love & belonging
2. For power over one's own life
3. For a sense of productivity and contribution to something bigger than one's self
4. For fun

Every day I watch people in Mexico go to work to satisfy #3 ... striving to fulfill the longing to be productive and to contribute to something bigger than themselves. The irony is that, in almost every case, they do so with the knowledge that they will not be paid for their labors. They do so as volunteers. Sari, Jaime and Julian come to the bible school to teach. Jose Luis and Arimedia come to work with Pablo at the foundation, and Arimedia also works as the primary "staff" for our little tri-cultural mission. For years Bani worked as chief architect, secretary and group coordinator with the foundation, and only recently did she get a job as a paid architect working with the Mexican government. Even Pablo is not paid by the Mayan Synod for all the work he does here.

Paid employment is very hard to come by here, and the pay is so low it's amazing (minimum wage is the equivalent of $5 USD per DAY, not per hour, but per DAY). If life were just about having enough cash, it would be hard to imagine anyone surviving here.

On the other hand, according to Glasser, survival is not about cash. Notice that having $ is not one of the Big 4 listed above. But in fact, if satisfying the Big 4 is what's necessary for survival, then Sari, Jaime, Julian, Bani, Jose Luis, Arimedia and Pablo are in great shape for survival. In their various volunteer roles, they know that they are surrounded by people who love them and accept them (#1); they are choosing to spend their time (#2) by contributing to missions, church and responding to human need (#3), and they enjoy working together, participating in groups and life with the foundation, church and the bible school (#4). Survival, by Glasser's definition, is covered. So, compared to those who are NOT attending to all those survival needs, each of these people is surviving quite well.

Here and there all of those other needs (for money, food, housing, etc.) are somehow taken care of. I am thrilled that each of these people have found ways to survive that not only benefit others but that bring genuine satisfaction to their own lives. Now....don't get me wrong. They'd prefer to get paid! They know they should get paid! They want to get paid someday. But for now, they are willing to work with the knowledge that it's a good thing to work and to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I am proud and humbled to be around them each and every day.