Where are you right now? I would imagine wherever it is it is somewhere comfortable. I can't stop thinking about what "comfortable" lives most people that I know live. We are so blessed and don't even realize it. The things we complain about are usually not necessities. Maybe your car is having problems, the guy who can't afford a car doesn't have that problem. Air conditioning not working, somewhere somebody would love to just have a roof over their head. Struggling with your food budget, right this very minute there is a parent out there praying that their child does not die from starvation tonight. Upset that you waited too long at the Doctor's office today, millions of people all over the world would wait for days just to be seen by a Doctor.
How did we get here? How did we become so privileged and entitled? How do we live in a world that produces enough food but still 1 in 7 people worldwide are considered "hungry" (World Hunger)? How long is your morning shower? Did you know that an American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country slum uses in a whole day (Human Development Reports).
God has really been speaking to my heart about the poor in this world. So often we consider ourselves poor when most of us have no idea what poverty really is. I don't know what this means to you, but I do know that Jesus calls us to care for others. James 1:27 says Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Take a minute and read Matthew 25: 31-46.
There is more to this life than getting up every day going to work only to run in the rat race of material things. Because even if you win the race you are still a rat. Seek God, ask Him to pour His Spirit out on you and show you His desire for your life. It may not be what you are expecting but you can be assured that it will be good. For He assures that His plans for us are not evil but peace, a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
It is more than heartbreaking to me that in the time it took me to type this blog an estimated 60 children died from water-related disease (water.org).
Good Blog Allison. We take a lot of things for granted. It's sad we live in a world where some of us have so much while other are starving. I believe it is our human duty to work towards making this a more equitable world. Our society is constantly teaching us that it is all about me me me and more more more, buy buy buy. We have been told and taught these lies countless times.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew.
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