~4 people in the church of 100 own a Bible.
times than she can count. She is 7. And cares for 4 younger siblings.
of very edible cows wandering on the streets. But he won’t dare touch
one… because he believes that cow might just be his uncle, father, or friend.
day.
I’ve looked into their eyes.I heard the unique tones of each voice.I’ve smelled their homes.I’ve slept in their rat infested rooms.I’ve held them as they’ve wept.I’ve tasted the sourness of their food.
I’ve laid on the dirt under the stars, holding sick, dying orphans who
don’t speak a word of English, falling in love with them as their
bright eyes smile up at me through dark skin.
When a part of my body isn’t
functioning right, it manifests itself, sometimes through a cough, a
sneeze, or weakness. When something isn’t in sink with the rest of my
parts, we’d say that I’m sick, and begin to do what needs to be done to
get me healthy. If my lungs, stomach, or head suffer, the rest of me
suffers, too….
rest of the Body suffers. When we who CAN do something do nothing, it
affects everyone, even though you might not see it externally…
eventually, what’s going on internally will manifest on the surface.
Their conditions are not just their problem.
And I’m not just talking about physical conditions. I’m talking about
emotional and spiritual as well. Far too often we all walk around in a
cloud of self-consumption, saturated in our present level of depression
or happiness, the price of gas and the economy, our relationship
issues, or any other situation we can keep our minds busy with.
And we miss the big picture. Starving children in Mozambique aren’t actors in a Compassion International infomercial. They really do exist. I’ve held their boney frames. Women enslaved by the sex trade aren’t statics. I’ve seen the emptiness in their eyes, and heard their unspoken cries for a Friend.
You know you’re awake because you want to wake everyone else up, too.
If you don’t want to, then maybe you’re still sleeping.
Maybe you need to walk straight into something uncomfortable. Something
you don’t understand. Something that even frightens you a bit.
Until you do, the real world keeps passing you by, while you live in the Matrix.
its worth every tear, drop of sweat, and question that keeps you up at
night.
Looking for a way to wake up?