It seems so far from reality for us who are blessed to live in the US -- it's really hard to truly wrap our heads around the fact that there really are starving children in the world! Babies, dying before they even get a chance at life merely because they are unable to get the basic nutrition required to live! Even my worst of times, when I really wasn't sure how I was going to put food on the table the rest of the week, we never really went without...not really. It may have felt like it at the time, it may have seemed that we were poor, hungry and suffering. But, we weren't, not really. Even in those times, we had something and even more, probably even enough to share. Why, when we live in the land of plenty, are there children literally starving to death in far away lands, when I know a good majority of us have more then we truly need.
I drive down the road and sadly, I witness homeless people and I am fully aware that there are even more that we do not see on a daily basis. Perhaps they are camped out in cars, in hidden tents, under overpasses, on park benches --they are there, this we know. But even so, we have programs and shelters and opportunities--definitely not enough, but they are there. What we see as poverty and homeless as we drive down the road is nothing to what goes on in remote villages in far away lands. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to undermine the depth of our homeless population right here in the US, I have a heart bent towards helping relieve the suffering in this regard. But the discomfort for children can be relieved in some regards here in the States because we have public school systems that provide help, meals and education for all. While this doesn't fix our homeless situation here, it does at least provide something more than what is available in other countries! Remote villages in other countries don't have public schools to provide these outlets for children. I am guilty of living blindly to this, yet I know it exist, but never really taking the time to absorb the truth of it!
Perhaps God is stirring my heart, breaking my heart even, to the reality that exists in the lives of the people that make their home in these countries. Whatever it is, having now had my heart enlightened to a new level of truly embracing the reality of it all, I also seem to have my eyes opened to how many good opportunities there are that give me the opportunity to help. It may only be a little that I can do alone, but what if we all did a little? I mean really! We hear it regularly in our lives, but what if we really all did do just a little! It would truly make such a huge impact on the lives of God's people!
I would like to promote a recent offer that I felt led to contribute too -- World Concern is promoting packets called Nutributter. The are supplements for babies food, intended to provide nutrition that they need and can't get. Here is a link to them, you can read the information directly. http://www.worldconcern.org/Nutributter . Give a one time contribution towards these or commit to regular donations, the choice is yours. If you've been blessed, how can you not reach out and give back in some way?
