Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day. I have been participating for the last couple of years, so all of my 3 readers can listen to my thoughts on the topic at hand. This year's topic is Poverty. Here's what I have to say about that...

This morning I got up in my nice comfortable bed. I had a REALLY hard time getting up... which is not all that unusual!... I went downstairs and played with the puppy... I spent some time loving on Nellie... I went upstairs and took a nice hot shower. Then.... much dreaded... I came into work and spent the morning catching up on e-mail and the latest happenings. Then Kim and I went to El Toro for lunch. I LOVE A GOOD MEXICAN MEAL. Then spent time at the Y... which always MUST follow a mexican meal! Now I am getting ready to head home from the office to spend some time with the family and have dinner.

Today I didn't think about poverty at all.

Last night the youth spent time working on their latest Bible study called: The Justice Mission. It is an AWESOME study on human trafficking, modern day slavery, loving what God loves and hating what God hates. It is a 4 week study we have been working on for about 6. They are wrestling with some pretty heavy stuff. Last night they spent a lot of time talking about mission trips they have been on and what it means to truly remember. What the quote means (and this is not exact people!) that "the greatest danger in the world is not the evil people, it is the good people who do nothing."

Today I didn't think about poverty at all.

Sure I spent some time working on mission trip related things... but I didn't even really consider anything but how far away it is and what age you have to be to attend.

Today I didn't think about poverty at all.

I have seen some extremely impoverished places. I have shared meals with people who hadn't eaten in days or weeks. I have been inside one room metal and wood shacks that house families of 6 or more. I have seen children beg on the street. I have seen people dying of starvation and exposure. I know people who have lost everything to hurricanes and floods. I have held babies that have so little hope for the future.

Today I didn't think about poverty at all.

When do you get to the point where it doesn't matter to you? It does matter. It matters to me a lot. I hate that people are suffering in a world where I have more than I will ever need. I hate that children die and people suffer because of the way I choose to live.

Today I didn't think about poverty at all.

And that's really the problem isn't it. Its not the evil people in the world, its the good ones with good intentions and broken hearts who do nothing.

I want to be part of the generation that does something. I want to see people live. I want to see people eat and sleep in adequate homes and have adequate and clean drinking water. I want to see men and women paid fairly for the work that they do and children in school.

Today I didn't think about poverty at all.

And I am completely ashamed of that.