One day as we shared our sandwiches the head teacher asked us, "Have you ever had to do without?" The questions silenced us. It brought tears to our eyes and was humbling. There's not even one time in my life I've had to truly do without. I've always had a home and known where my next meal was coming from, but the kids who live in the slum compounds, like the one we were working in, do without every day-- many of them without parents, without an education, without a bed, without daily meals.
It's months later I'm still thinking about how I didn't want the food in my hands when the community around me was filled with children and adults who might not even have anything to eat that evening. That's reality. That hurts when I think about all I have and take for granted. That makes me stop and think. What do I have to offer? What am I willing to do about it? Am I really willing to do "anything" to help those who are hurting around me?
all of a sudden what you thought mattered doesn't matter anymore . . .
I have hands, feet, the Internet, plane tickets, resources, the Gospel, and money so that God can use me to recklessly save, recklessly heal, recklessly love."
~ Jennie Allen, Anything
Open publication - Free publishing | Today is World Food Day. I read somewhere that 1 in every 7 people in the world suffer from hunger. That's almost a billion people! You can find out more at World Food Day USA or give to organizations that are working with people worldwide to fight the problem of hunger like the NCM Global Hunger Fund which provides emergency food assistance, farming equipment, and training for families in need. |