Would you like fries with your BMW?

A couple of conversations with friends this week had me awake, early on a Saturday morning, thinking. Interestingly enough, the topic of both encounters concerned the level of poverty that exists in the world--a level so low that the overwhelming majority of those living in the US are unable to even comprehend it.

There are Americans who think they are poor because they cannot afford a new car or because they are unable to buy brand-name shoes for their kids. At the same time, there are people in other countries who don't even own a pair of shoes and not owning transportation means they must walk miles to get the family's drinking/cooking water for the day.

While on a missions trip in Mexico, one friend told me how she witnessed a common theme where a mother will guide her own child into the arms of an American then quickly abandon that child in the hopes that the American will take her precious son/daughter back to the United States. This mother has no idea what these people are like. All she knows is that the life they can provide for her young child has to be better than the one she can. I cannot imagine giving up one of my children. Then again, my children never went hungry nor did they do without most of life's comforts, let alone the basics. (Get some facts: http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty)

Let's bring it closer to home. We have children in our own city, our own township who go hungry if they aren't eating at school; children who steal extra food while going through the lunch line because once they get dropped off at home, they don't know when they will see their next meal. Sure, we can try to rationalize the numerous reasons why this can happen from low education/wages to laziness to drug addiction. Yet one fact remains, none of these reasons are the fault of the hungry child. (Get some more facts: http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/)

Sometimes, these statistics break my heart so badly that I find it easier to avoid thinking about them altogether. Maybe, you do the same thing. That doesn't solve the problem though. I feel God tugging at me a little more each day so I don't think I can sit back and watch forever. I'm not talking about starting a revolution, but maybe we can start with just one kid or two or even three and see what God does with that. What can I do? What can you do? What can WE do? I have a few ideas. I would love to hear yours.

"But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." 1John 3:17-18 (ESV)

My biggest sin

If you look at me, you might think my most worst sin is overeating.  That would be a good guess and is likely a close second, but we’ll save that issue for another day. So what is my biggest sin? Well, like most people, that secret usually stays well-hidden. I try to pretend it isn’t that big of a deal, but really, it is. My biggest sin is worry.

I often joke, “I worry too much and I worry about that.” When in reality, it is no joking matter.  I constantly rob myself of joy, not to mention sleep, because I am always concerned about things in the future or even worse, things of the past. I worry that I should have taken my kids to church more when they were younger; that I, myself, should have been more committed to serving God. I worry about all the other parenting mistakes and bad financial decisions I have made throughout the years. Then, I remember that I cannot do a single thing to fix the past. So I move on and start worrying about things to come. I worry about my family’s future. I worry about those who are not saved. I worry about the homeless. I worry about the sick. I worry about the country. I worry I am not doing enough to help. I worry I try to do too much. You name it. I worry about it. Jesus is clear on the matter.

 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?   Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27 (ESV)

Of course, the answer is NO. Worry does not add any value to my life whatsoever. My problem gets worse. When I take on all of this worry, I am essentially saying that God needs my help; that He can’t handle things on His own. That is the real joke here, people! We are not helpless by any means. We still have to wake up every day and attempt to make the best choices. We still have to show up and do hard work. But, through it all, God will lay a path for us. All we have to do is take it.

PROVERBS 37:1-4

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Occasionally, for a few days anyway, I do a really good job of this. I pray and the worries leave me. I am content for a while. Apparently, though, I don’t trust God enough because it’s just a matter of time before I take it all right back. So, I talk myself off the ledge and start the process all over again. If you are like me and allow worry to consume your thoughts, just remember that when all is said and done, and things do not turn out the way we thought they would, we don’t need to worry. God’s plan is better than anything we can ever imagine. Every time! So, stop worrying about it!

Finding Focus

For many years, I tried to find my true purpose in life. My focus. My focus from God. My focus for God. 

 “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28: 18-20 ESV)

I know this.  But, what does it look like for me?

When we got married, we had children. I cleaned house, I made dinner, we attended ballgames, we went to their band concerts, and we coached their teams. We volunteered in almost every activity the girls were in. When Jessica started kindergarten, I quit my job because they would not allow me to attend Kindergarten Orientation Day. I had focus. My focus was my family. With a husband and four girls, there was a lot to focus on. 

Fast forward about ten years I saw the writing on the wall and it wasn’t from crayon scribbles.  The girls were growing up. I would have to find another purpose to fill my time. We were still pretty busy with activities and such, but I went back to college to finish my degree. In May 2014, I did. I am now a college graduate. I did it for myself, but I also did it for God. I mean, kind of. He did bless me with my intellect and I felt as though I would be failing Him if I did not finish my college degree. Mission accomplished.

As the girls start to leave home, my thoughts turn back to finding my “new calling”. But, I keep finding myself frozen by all of the possibilities.  There is so much brokenness, hurt and sin in the world.  How do I best serve God?

With my background as a child of the foster care system, I have often thought of getting involved there. I would like to help kids see that they can rise above their situation. They don’t have to remain victims of circumstance. They can stand strong and move past it all. Would I be allowed to share the message of God’s love and comfort?  After all, I never would have survived my own ordeal without my hope in God and His Son, Jesus.

Then, I hear about the awful plight of women, children and even men who are caught in the world of human trafficking. What can I, just one mom living in Indiana, do to fix this?  Ideas swirl around in my head, but again, I become overwhelmed and my thoughts turn to something more immediate and those ideas are lost. ( http://www.humantrafficking.org/ )

What about the homeless?  How can we better serve the under privileged in society.  Today’s world is never without plenty of souls who are poor, sick and homeless. They need our help and God’s message too. What big gesture can I make to help them? (http://www.wmm.org/ )

My latest preoccupation is abortion. I feel so many people would think differently about the issue if they took time to really examine the facts. Life is so precious and I think that when women find themselves in a situation that seems hopeless, it can be easy to forget that a life is being snuffed out in a matter of minutes. The viewing of the movie http://www.180movie.com/ helped me see that some people can and will change their minds if given a new perspective. Is this where God needs me?

All of these causes are ways of glorifying God. I want to choose the one where I will be most effective. I want to make a choice that brings His message to those who truly need it. I am a doer. I need results. After countless hours of sweat and tears, I want to see a finished product. Then, it occurred to me that all I need to do is….something. Just start. When I see a need, fill it. When someone is hurting, comfort them.  God will lead me to where He wants me to go.

BOTTOM LINE:  I just need to start planting and let God worry about the harvest.