Monday, August 21, 2006
Off to South Africa!
I'm leaving today for South Africa! It feels so weird to be going to a non-Spanish speaking country! In fact when I imagine conversations and encounters that might happen in SA I find myself thinking about it in Spanish. Hehe. Guess that won't help me much there. It also feels weird to be so dumb about a culture... I know all about Latin American culture, and people ask me about it all the time, and now I'm having to ask others about a culture. I'm so excited and nervous! I don't know what to expect... as far as the country goes, as far as the city goes, and living with my host family, the church there and the work being done. I'm trying not to have any expectations one way or the other! But... you know you, find yourself imagining... or at least I do. I have an over-active imagination. Gotta go now. Off to the airport!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
My God is So Big
Things are changing so much in my life right now, but God is SO GOOD, and he is taking care of me every step of the way, even when I was stressed out and doubting. God has absolutely amazed me in the past month in how he is working in my life, and all the loose ends are coming together. There are still a lot of unknowns, but it’s okay. It’s just a big adventure awaiting me, and I know that God is going to give me the support I need for whatever comes my way. He has given me full support to go to Africa in only a month’s time, and he gave me a roommate for San Francisco that loves Jesus!
This song sung by Bob and Larry from Veggie Tales expresses my feelings tonight perfectly:
My God is So Big
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.
The mountains are His,
The valleys are His,
The stars are His handiwork too.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.
"For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:8
I must say that I have been very doubting in this in the past. Not on purpose…. But the reality was that I felt like if I asked, God might just say no, and then I wouldn’t receive… which can still happen, but it won’t happen if what I am desiring is God’s will. I was so afraid that I wouldn’t get enough funds for Africa… I was afraid of that 6 months ago even, and then when God finally moved me to action this summer to go, he then made it where I would only have a month and half to raise funds. I was really scared that it wouldn’t happen, but God is good and wanted to show me that it is not by my own strength or ability that I do anything, and that everything is because of HIM. I am so blessed! God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
This song sung by Bob and Larry from Veggie Tales expresses my feelings tonight perfectly:
My God is So Big
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.
The mountains are His,
The valleys are His,
The stars are His handiwork too.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.
"For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:8
I must say that I have been very doubting in this in the past. Not on purpose…. But the reality was that I felt like if I asked, God might just say no, and then I wouldn’t receive… which can still happen, but it won’t happen if what I am desiring is God’s will. I was so afraid that I wouldn’t get enough funds for Africa… I was afraid of that 6 months ago even, and then when God finally moved me to action this summer to go, he then made it where I would only have a month and half to raise funds. I was really scared that it wouldn’t happen, but God is good and wanted to show me that it is not by my own strength or ability that I do anything, and that everything is because of HIM. I am so blessed! God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
A Few Things
Why do people ask questions like, “Why don’t you have boyfriend?”? What exactly are they expecting you to respond with? “I have this really bad rash all over my body and it tends to scare people away?” “I have a horrible personality.” “I’ve only met loser guys.” “Actually, right now I’m stalking Mr. Perfect.”
Yesterday, two people asked my sister if she was my mother. Hahaha. Poor Andi, she really doesn’t look old enough to be my mom, just old enough to be my older sister. Which by the way is pretty stinking old, because I turn 24 this week!
I suspect that I might be a disgrace to my generation, because I don’t know anything about downloading songs from the internet. Oh well.
Yesterday, two people asked my sister if she was my mother. Hahaha. Poor Andi, she really doesn’t look old enough to be my mom, just old enough to be my older sister. Which by the way is pretty stinking old, because I turn 24 this week!
I suspect that I might be a disgrace to my generation, because I don’t know anything about downloading songs from the internet. Oh well.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Where do I start...
Today was my last day working on the Infant Unit at the hospital this summer. I have spent 172 hours there, and I was surprised to find myself sad today. I’ve grown used to the way things are done there, and I like the nurses, but most of all, I love my patients. I love all my patients, but they come and go, and that’s not a big deal. But there are some patients that are long termers and will be in and out throughout childhood. It’s these children that you grow very attached to. You start to feel like they are a part of your own family. People have stories of patients they’ll never forget. I have one such story now.
I’ll go ahead and say it: It’s not fair! What’s happening to her is not fair! What her parents are going through is not fair! She was a normal little girl until age 4. She had her immunizations and then shortly thereafter things started going wrong. The first time she came to the hospital she walked in. Now she will probably never walk or talk again. She has severe spasms that have broken both femurs a couple of times. She cries out in uncontrollable pain. What’s happening to her is called degenerative encephalopathy, but the doctor’s don’t really know what caused it. Maybe it was a bad reaction to the immunizations. Maybe a virus. Now she’s six and the nightmare only worsens.
Her screams haunt me. You can hear them from down the hall. It sounds horrible and like someone is torturing her, but it is her own body that is her enemy. There is almost ALWAYS a parent with her… 4 months, night and day. That’s how long this stay in the hospital has been so far. Her mother stays with her all day, and her father stays with her at night. I was alone with her for about 30 minutes the other day while her father took her mother to the doctor. She began to go into her spasms and scream… it is the most helpless feeling in the world. And so I prayed. I just begged and begged that God would take the pain away, stop the spasms, bring peace, and cure her! But she continues on in this state. Why did this happen?
It seems easier almost, to have a child born with a disability, than to have a healthy child and suddenly have that taken away. You look into this little girl’s eyes, and it seems like she is still there, behind them, longing to speak, to tell us what hurts. She looks around the room from behind her long black eyelashes, and her mother talks of how it used to be. This precious little girl that loved horses and swimming. She is having fewer spasms these days than she once had, but it’s still really bad. And now, she does smile in response to questions sometimes. I know that little girl is still there, trapped in this tormented body.
I’ll go ahead and say it: It’s not fair! What’s happening to her is not fair! What her parents are going through is not fair! She was a normal little girl until age 4. She had her immunizations and then shortly thereafter things started going wrong. The first time she came to the hospital she walked in. Now she will probably never walk or talk again. She has severe spasms that have broken both femurs a couple of times. She cries out in uncontrollable pain. What’s happening to her is called degenerative encephalopathy, but the doctor’s don’t really know what caused it. Maybe it was a bad reaction to the immunizations. Maybe a virus. Now she’s six and the nightmare only worsens.
Her screams haunt me. You can hear them from down the hall. It sounds horrible and like someone is torturing her, but it is her own body that is her enemy. There is almost ALWAYS a parent with her… 4 months, night and day. That’s how long this stay in the hospital has been so far. Her mother stays with her all day, and her father stays with her at night. I was alone with her for about 30 minutes the other day while her father took her mother to the doctor. She began to go into her spasms and scream… it is the most helpless feeling in the world. And so I prayed. I just begged and begged that God would take the pain away, stop the spasms, bring peace, and cure her! But she continues on in this state. Why did this happen?
It seems easier almost, to have a child born with a disability, than to have a healthy child and suddenly have that taken away. You look into this little girl’s eyes, and it seems like she is still there, behind them, longing to speak, to tell us what hurts. She looks around the room from behind her long black eyelashes, and her mother talks of how it used to be. This precious little girl that loved horses and swimming. She is having fewer spasms these days than she once had, but it’s still really bad. And now, she does smile in response to questions sometimes. I know that little girl is still there, trapped in this tormented body.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
California
I went to California last week to see if I wanted to move there or not, and then I took a little vacation with my parents down the west coast on Highway 1. It was so beautiful! On Friday I accepted a job offer from UCSF Medical Center! CA here I come!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Friday, May 26, 2006
Extraordinary
I love getting to visit my parents. They’re also my friends and my teachers. I love the way we can sit around for hours talking, the conversation often turning towards spirituality, church, missions, etc. I love the way it just naturally happens and how they are truly living their lives in God and so, topics that have to do with our Creator come up constantly.
My dad gave me the book, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, to read. He said that I wouldn’t be able to put it down once I started. I took it dubiously, thinking that I would be able to put it down, because I had a midterm to study for and a lot of other school work. I was wrong. I finished the 214 page book in one day. I could not put it down. It is the story of a woman that survived the genocide in Rwanda. Immaculée Ilibagiza is her name, and she wrote her story in English (which is her third language), and Steve Erwin fine-tuned it/rewrote it with her in order to truly capture her story so it could be published. It is AWESOME to hear about her faith in the middle of the horrible atrocities that took place. What awesome faith! She spent three months hidden in a tiny bathroom with six other people (all sitting on top of each other) while the genocide was taking place. During that time they only dared to speak a couple of times and they did not dare to move except for every 12 hours, lest they make some noise and be discovered by the killers. At that time old friends and neighbors had converted into killers. She spent her days in constant prayer from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep. Her faith grew even to the point of forgiving her family’s killers, the killers that didn’t merely shoot her loved ones, but chopped them up with a machete. Her story is extraordinary. I highly recommend this book.
My dad gave me the book, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, to read. He said that I wouldn’t be able to put it down once I started. I took it dubiously, thinking that I would be able to put it down, because I had a midterm to study for and a lot of other school work. I was wrong. I finished the 214 page book in one day. I could not put it down. It is the story of a woman that survived the genocide in Rwanda. Immaculée Ilibagiza is her name, and she wrote her story in English (which is her third language), and Steve Erwin fine-tuned it/rewrote it with her in order to truly capture her story so it could be published. It is AWESOME to hear about her faith in the middle of the horrible atrocities that took place. What awesome faith! She spent three months hidden in a tiny bathroom with six other people (all sitting on top of each other) while the genocide was taking place. During that time they only dared to speak a couple of times and they did not dare to move except for every 12 hours, lest they make some noise and be discovered by the killers. At that time old friends and neighbors had converted into killers. She spent her days in constant prayer from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep. Her faith grew even to the point of forgiving her family’s killers, the killers that didn’t merely shoot her loved ones, but chopped them up with a machete. Her story is extraordinary. I highly recommend this book.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Mountains Beyond Mountains
“Of all the world’s errors, he [Paul Farmer] seemed to feel, the most fundamental was the ‘erasing’ of people, the ‘hiding away’ of suffering. ‘My big struggle is how people can not care, erase, not remember,’ [said Paul]” -Tracy Kidder, Mountains Beyond Mountains p. 218-219
“I feel ambivalent about selling my services in a world where some can’t buy them. You CAN feel ambivalent about that, because you SHOULD feel ambivalent.” -Paul Farmer quoted in Mountains Beyond Mountains
“Giving people medicine for TB and not giving them food is like washing your hands and drying them in the dirt.” -Paul Farmer quoted in Mountains Beyond Mountains
Moutains Beyond Mountains is a great book, and I highly recommend it, especially for anyone interested in medical missions and humanitary aid.
“I feel ambivalent about selling my services in a world where some can’t buy them. You CAN feel ambivalent about that, because you SHOULD feel ambivalent.” -Paul Farmer quoted in Mountains Beyond Mountains
“Giving people medicine for TB and not giving them food is like washing your hands and drying them in the dirt.” -Paul Farmer quoted in Mountains Beyond Mountains
Moutains Beyond Mountains is a great book, and I highly recommend it, especially for anyone interested in medical missions and humanitary aid.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Change the World
"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have." -- Margaret Mead
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Invisible Children
I WANT TO GO AND DO SOMETHING!!! When will preparation ever end? I want to tell you all about the Invisible Children of northern Uganda. In order to avoid being kidnapped out of their homes at night by rebels and forced to fight, these kids walk miles to stay the night in a safe place (it’s been a while since I watched the film but I think it was in the basement of a hospital or maybe it was a warehouse, either way the conditions were bad and everyone was crammed into a space not nearly big enough for them all to sleep on concrete floors). Many children have already been kidnapped, and many more will continue to be, unless the world takes a stand. And the world starts with each of us. I know it’s hard, sitting here, to see what we can do. I feel that way to. What can I do right now? Well, what I can do is continue to tell their story, so that they won’t be quite so invisible, and I can give money to help support the cause, and I can pray for them. Some guys went to Uganda to find the story and ever since have been spreading it across the country. I saw the film at the World Missions Workshop at Harding last fall. The film is AMAZING, and you can’t walk away without having been profoundly affected. You can learn more about the cause and can purchase the movie at www.invisiblechildren.com.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Getting over it
It’s been a while since I’ve written. I have plenty going on in my mind to write about, it’s just finding the time to figure out what exactly is going on in my head to write about it and the will power to focus. I have a million things racing through there these days. But one line of thought clouds over everything else and keeps me from being able to sit down and write about other stuff. Life is exciting and I’m getting ready to make some big decisions about where to move to, but at the same time, that’s really stressful! I have to make decisions about where to move to! On the plus side, I am well loved, and so I have lots of friends and family in different places around the U.S. that are putting in their bids for me to move close to them. Of course, I’m only having to make this decision now, because one person didn’t want me to move to where he is. And that’s how this all began. I was going along, thinking I knew where I was going (at least in the immediate future), and then *wham* the breath was knocked out of me, and suddenly I only know where I’m going in the way off future and don’t have a clue as to where I’m going in 3 months. Funny how life goes. I’ve read more craziness in the news, but I just haven’t been able to focus myself to write about them. I hate that I have been so incapacitated lately by my own disappointments in life! It makes me mad at myself for being so wrapped up in me! One of my friends assured me that it is perfectly fine for me to be wrapped up in this right now, because it is important to me… but that doesn’t really make me feel better. I just want to get over it. Life goes on! Big fat hairy deal! People are dealing with a lot worse stuff. I know that 4 months from now I’ll be over it, so why can’t I do it right now!? Gggrrrrrrrrrrr.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Privilege or Right
There’s this issue: Is healthcare a right or a privilege? This is an ongoing debate and there are important points to be considered from both sides. However, I don’t think that the question should be “Is healthcare a right or a privilege?”
The question should be, “What can I do for you today, right now, in this moment, because you are human and I am human, and you need something, and I know how to give that to you.” It is not that person’s right or privilege, but it IS my obligation as a human being to want to provide them with a service that can drastically change their lives.
A mother brought her little boy into the clinic today. He has leukemia and is undergoing treatment right now. The medicine that she needs costs her $500 a month. She doesn’t have insurance, and she and her children are not legal. She has been able to get the medicine so far, by her own savings and by going to another free clinic, but that clinic does not have the medicine every month, and she does not have $500 just lying around all the time to use. We don’t have that medicine at Cross and Crown Mission, but we are going to try and help her. We’re going to try one way through the government, because her husband is legal, and if that doesn’t work, then God will provide a donor for this cause.
It’s just not right!!! This little boy has leukemia, and not only do his parents have to deal with what a life changing and traumatizing event this is, but they also have to search for a way to get the medicine that he needs. He has the type of leukemia that has a good prognosis, but that means nothing without the right medicine! It makes me want to scream and then cry! They shouldn’t have to worry about that too.
The question should be, “What can I do for you today, right now, in this moment, because you are human and I am human, and you need something, and I know how to give that to you.” It is not that person’s right or privilege, but it IS my obligation as a human being to want to provide them with a service that can drastically change their lives.
A mother brought her little boy into the clinic today. He has leukemia and is undergoing treatment right now. The medicine that she needs costs her $500 a month. She doesn’t have insurance, and she and her children are not legal. She has been able to get the medicine so far, by her own savings and by going to another free clinic, but that clinic does not have the medicine every month, and she does not have $500 just lying around all the time to use. We don’t have that medicine at Cross and Crown Mission, but we are going to try and help her. We’re going to try one way through the government, because her husband is legal, and if that doesn’t work, then God will provide a donor for this cause.
It’s just not right!!! This little boy has leukemia, and not only do his parents have to deal with what a life changing and traumatizing event this is, but they also have to search for a way to get the medicine that he needs. He has the type of leukemia that has a good prognosis, but that means nothing without the right medicine! It makes me want to scream and then cry! They shouldn’t have to worry about that too.
Monday, April 10, 2006
A Thought
You know, you hear those songs about the guy chasing the girl, and he’s all happy that he “won” her. Why do those guys feel good about having to chase the girl in the first place? Why aren’t they offended that the girl didn’t see what a good thing he was in the first place?
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Top Stories
First, on CNN headline news, they were talking about the Gay Games. Do we have Straight Games too? If we did, wouldn’t we get into trouble?
Second, there was a story where come people married two rabbits—had a ceremony and everything. Some group got mad because they thought that the people were demeaning the rabbits. Give me a break! They’re rabbits! They don’t know what’s going on!
Third, why do we have a story on headline news about some dumb rabbits getting married? I’m sure that there MUST be a story more important than that, that didn’t get aired.
Second, there was a story where come people married two rabbits—had a ceremony and everything. Some group got mad because they thought that the people were demeaning the rabbits. Give me a break! They’re rabbits! They don’t know what’s going on!
Third, why do we have a story on headline news about some dumb rabbits getting married? I’m sure that there MUST be a story more important than that, that didn’t get aired.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Super Hero
I'm 80% Superman! Go to this site and find out what super hero you are. By the way, life is good. School is good. Family is good. Boyfriend is good. Friends are good. AND, Sol's birthday is tomorrow!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Names
So, I looked up the meaning of my name, and different sites gave different meanings. They are: servant of God or to tie, to bind or to snare, and I guess to snare is the same as to tie or to bind, but tying and binding sound better than snaring. Binding makes me think of that song, “Bind us together, Lord, Bind us together, Lord with chains that cannot be broken…” or is it cord that cannot be broken? Either way, that song makes me put snare and bind in two different categories. I had a little paper thing when I was younger that said what Rebecca means, but I can’t remember what it said, but I don’t think it said any of the above. It would be exciting to me if it did in fact mean servant of God—much better than to snare. I looked up my nephew’s names too… Ashton- ash tree settlement, Haven- safe place, Gavin- little hawk, Levi- united, as one. I also looked up Sol’s, just to see if it was there, and it was! Soledad- solitary. Actually, I looked up just about all of my family’s names, some of my friends, and my boyfriend’s name and some of his family’s names. And you must be thinking, man, “To Snare” must be really bored! But, I’m not!!! I actually have a lot of studying I need to do, but suddenly, looking up names and blogging about it became very important to me. But it's okay, because I have my notebook open next to me; so it's like I'm studying... sort of.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Listening to God
The sermon today was on how God speaks to people. The first point the preacher made was that in order to hear God speak, you must first believe that God does in fact speak to people today. The second point was that in order to hear God speak you must believe that God will speak to you. So simple! But is it? I must say that I have a hard time waiting for God speak to me. I don’t like to wait. I like to just go ahead and do stuff! I guess I end up thinking that God doesn’t speak to me that much, when the case is that he probably does, but I’m just too busy not listening. I’m too busy making plans and filling my day with… well with anything but listening, but earnestly seeking what God is trying to tell me. So, I’ve been convicted! I want to listen.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Desperation
The CNN headline reads, “40 migrants drown off Africa.”
The article says, “Driven by poverty and dreams of a better life in Europe and elsewhere, thousands of Africans leave their homelands every year on hazardous clandestine journeys by land and sea. But hundreds drown or die in the attempt.”
The EU warned that immigration is a “time bomb” and of course the proposed solution to this is to form a joint Mediterranean security force to combat human trafficking, which is good because that would prevent deaths at sea, but it does nothing to fix the root of the problem, the reason why people are willing to risk their lives.
So, that’s right, it’s a time bomb. We have to keep them down. Keep them in their fenced off portion of hell on earth. Out of sight, out of mind. The condition of the human spirit so down-trodden and discouraged, that one is willing to risk his life that MAYBE, POSSIBLY he could find work in another place. Having knowledge that no matter how dismal conditions might be in the new place of residence, they cannot be any worse than the previous miserable situation they are escaping. What do you do when there is no hope of work, no hope of rain, no sight of relief, and starvation is closing in on you from all directions? What do you do when you must feed your child leaves in order to soothe the hunger? What do you do as $11 million (only a fraction of what was needed) in aid relief comes trickling in to your country 9 months after the fact, and by then the proposed $1 per person is now $80 because it is a lot more expensive to treat someone that is suffering from starvation. Oh yeah, and the site where they were handing out food is 20 miles away and you’re starving to death, so you are too weak to make the journey. I wonder if the tears are gone, if they have run out. If all that remains is the quiet desperation to simply not starve to death, because who will take care of your family if you are gone. But there really are few options by the time you reach the point of starvation, because even if there was a job to be had, you’re too weak and sick to work.
What is starvation:
Merriam Webster says:
Starve- to perish from lack of food; to suffer exteme hunger; to kill with hunger; to deprive of nourishment; to cause to capitulate by or as if by depriving of nourishment; to destroy by or cause to suffer from deprivation
www.merck.com states that starvation is the most severe form of malnutrition. In an effort to obtain energy the body will use its own tissue as a source of energy. This results in the destruction of visceral organs and muscle as all of the fat gets used up.
They are starving… or are we starving them? They are starving. We are not. We stuff ourselves with ridiculous portions of food. But, they are starving. We spend insane amounts of money on clothes, electronics, pets, cars, houses, hobbies, and the list goes on and on. They are starving. We don’t help. They are starving. I go buy myself another $4 frapacchino at Starbucks. They are starving. We are starving them.
Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
The Bible says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:17
I don’t know what the answer is. It’s such a huge problem. Where to begin? Maybe begin with caring… maybe care a little less about who Brad Pitt is dating and a little more about human beings that are slowly wasting away from starvation. And, then, maybe caring will lead to action, to radical lifestyle changes that say just because I can afford it does not mean that I should have it.
The article says, “Driven by poverty and dreams of a better life in Europe and elsewhere, thousands of Africans leave their homelands every year on hazardous clandestine journeys by land and sea. But hundreds drown or die in the attempt.”
The EU warned that immigration is a “time bomb” and of course the proposed solution to this is to form a joint Mediterranean security force to combat human trafficking, which is good because that would prevent deaths at sea, but it does nothing to fix the root of the problem, the reason why people are willing to risk their lives.
So, that’s right, it’s a time bomb. We have to keep them down. Keep them in their fenced off portion of hell on earth. Out of sight, out of mind. The condition of the human spirit so down-trodden and discouraged, that one is willing to risk his life that MAYBE, POSSIBLY he could find work in another place. Having knowledge that no matter how dismal conditions might be in the new place of residence, they cannot be any worse than the previous miserable situation they are escaping. What do you do when there is no hope of work, no hope of rain, no sight of relief, and starvation is closing in on you from all directions? What do you do when you must feed your child leaves in order to soothe the hunger? What do you do as $11 million (only a fraction of what was needed) in aid relief comes trickling in to your country 9 months after the fact, and by then the proposed $1 per person is now $80 because it is a lot more expensive to treat someone that is suffering from starvation. Oh yeah, and the site where they were handing out food is 20 miles away and you’re starving to death, so you are too weak to make the journey. I wonder if the tears are gone, if they have run out. If all that remains is the quiet desperation to simply not starve to death, because who will take care of your family if you are gone. But there really are few options by the time you reach the point of starvation, because even if there was a job to be had, you’re too weak and sick to work.
What is starvation:
Merriam Webster says:
Starve- to perish from lack of food; to suffer exteme hunger; to kill with hunger; to deprive of nourishment; to cause to capitulate by or as if by depriving of nourishment; to destroy by or cause to suffer from deprivation
www.merck.com states that starvation is the most severe form of malnutrition. In an effort to obtain energy the body will use its own tissue as a source of energy. This results in the destruction of visceral organs and muscle as all of the fat gets used up.
They are starving… or are we starving them? They are starving. We are not. We stuff ourselves with ridiculous portions of food. But, they are starving. We spend insane amounts of money on clothes, electronics, pets, cars, houses, hobbies, and the list goes on and on. They are starving. We don’t help. They are starving. I go buy myself another $4 frapacchino at Starbucks. They are starving. We are starving them.
Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
The Bible says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:17
I don’t know what the answer is. It’s such a huge problem. Where to begin? Maybe begin with caring… maybe care a little less about who Brad Pitt is dating and a little more about human beings that are slowly wasting away from starvation. And, then, maybe caring will lead to action, to radical lifestyle changes that say just because I can afford it does not mean that I should have it.
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