I remember back to when my family had first returned to the U.S. after spending most of my childhood and adolescence on the mission field. My mom would wash and reuse zip lock bags and plastic cups. Now, I watch my kids use a paper plate for one (1) cookie and then throw it away. How times have changed! We live in a disposable culture. Even things like computers, cell phones, and kitchen gadgets seem to be cheaper to replace than the money, time, and energy it takes to repair them.

Unfortunately, this disposable mentality has seeped into other areas of our lives. It is more difficult to get people to commit to jobs, ministries, and even relationships. If you have a disagreement with someone in your church, you can go find another church. If you have a falling out with a friend, that’s ok, you can find another one on Facebook. If you don’t like something your boss said or did, just get another job. Everything in our lives seems to be disposable.

An unfortunate side effect of this mentality is that we don’t have any depth in our lives. Our friendships are shallow or even non-existent. We give up on our marriages at the first sign of trouble. We walk away from our jobs or our ministries because they aren’t fun anymore.

But there is something to be said about sticking with something or someone even when things are hard or monotonous. There is maturity and depth that comes with working through the issues or choosing to be content in our circumstances. And the loneliness that comes from a disposable mentality can be suffocating.

From what have you been tempted to walk away lately that maybe deserves a second glance?