So many thoughts have been circling inside my heads these past few weeks. Thoughts of sacrificial giving, adoption, injustice...sometimes my heart cannot contain it all. Reading about the horn of Africa and the horrible famine which is taking thousands of lives and I can't help but wonder how it is that I am so blessed? If I allow myself to really think about the reality for our dear brothers and sisters in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia right now I am crushed. I had someone not long ago tell me they think they are naive when it comes to the way a lot of the world lives. I told her I didn't necessarily think being naive is wrong - purposefully disengaging is another thing altogether. And that is where I struggle. It is easier to not think about putting yourself in their shoes because the minute you engage in their suffering you are moved to act.
Imagine with me: your sweet children are hungry and you know there is absolutely no food left anywhere near your home. Your livestock has long since died from lack of food and your dirty water source that has been making you and your children sick has dried up. What should you do? You have heard that there is hope a few weeks away but you are desperate because it is your only chance. You leave early in the morning in the cool of the day with hope that it won't take so long that your children die along the way. But in their already malnourished state you aren't sure how much more they can take. (how old are your children? imagine them walking in heat, hungry and thirsty) Two weeks into the journey your sweet child has weakened so much they are no longer conscience. How much longer? Your child (I am imagining Tristan) cannot hold on any longer and they die. You are forced to leave them in along the path because there is no where to bury them. You leave a piece of your heart behind as you leave. Ok.....honestly I can't go on. The pain is too difficult to even imagine. This is what I mean by disengaging. I can shut off the pain, get up and immerse myself in something else so I don't have to think about their reality. But a dear Somalian momma just like me buried 4 of her children on Thursday! The pain is almost more than I can bear! How is that even possible!!
The UN is saying this is the worst humanitarian crises in history!! When you have a famine this severe their only chance at survival is aid. And that comes from the world joining together to see the purpose of every person and doing what we can to help! I urge you to start regularly reading the updates on World Vision, Samaritans purse and different news sources. All you have to do is google it. The complication of course are the Somalian extremists who are blocking aid into much of Somalia hence the mass exodus into Kenya!
Is there something you can do? If you donate to World Vision they have grants that will take your donation and add another five times what you give. So if you can give $10 they add $50 and your donation becomes $60. If you give $100 they add $500 and your donation becomes $600!
Every time I heard David Crowder's "Oh Praise Him" I can't help but think of children who have been adopted, people who are sponsored, those are are being rescued right now by aid. The second verse says,
"Turn your gaze to heaven and raise a joyous noise
The sound of salvation come, the sound of rescued ones
And all this for a King
Angels join to sing
All for Christ the King"
God is not interested in the amounts you can give but interested in how your heart is moved with compassion! I know I often am urging you to give but it is how my heart beats! I see the plight of children and my heart breaks. I urge you today to not disengage but allow God to walk you through the reality of what it would be like. Grieve for these dear people, ask Him what He would have you do and then walk in obedience. Thanks for listening!
Oh and just to be clear: I am incredibly grateful that God has blessed us! I don't feel like I have done anything to deserve it but I am grateful! I don't walk around feeling like I should be suffering since there is so much of that around us. I do feel like I need to be in tune with His heart, walk in obedience to what He calls us to which will look different in all of us. So there is no judgement in how you live, how I live but a movement towards looking more and more like Him.
2 comments:
So well said, Becky. I agree, I relate, I ache. I fell hopeless for them, undeserving... all of it. Thanks for writing this out, I couldn't have said it better.
With love, Katie
Thanks for taking the time to write your thoughts on this. It is so well written and thought out. It resonated with me as I am sure it does with all your readers. 30,000 children died in the past 3 months in that region. That's 10,000 a month. As sad as this is, even more sad is the fact that most people are unaware.
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