Cambodia is considered “the Africa of Asia.” I’m not sure if it’s because of the heat or the poverty or maybe both. I have seen a lot these past 7 months and I know that it will only continue as we travel to Africa and India. But as we were driving from the city out to where my team is staying this month, I just looked out the window and started thinking. As we drove past houses that are on stilts and made out of pieces of wood, straw and even trash I began to think of all the poverty I’ve seen this year. It’s almost like it all hit me at once, on the bus ride with really bad Cambodian karaoke blasting from the stereo.
I began to think about how “normal” I thought my life was. Growing up in a Christian family, going to church, having my own toys as a kid, attending great schools, getting my own car when I turned 16, being able to work and make money, etc. That is normal to me, and probably for most of you reading this blog. But as I travel the world and see place after place, I realize that my life, the way I live in America, is not normal at all. We are the exception. We are the outliers in this thing called life.
Most people live in a 1-2 room house, full of people. Most people only have 1 form of transportation to share. Most people live off of about $1 a day. Most people have never even been to a restaurant and ordered from a menu. Most people have no idea what it would be like to have to choose which university to attend. And as all of this began to sink in I started to wonder, “why me?”
Why was I blessed enough to be born in the land of the free, home of the brave? Why was I chosen to be the one with a Christian family and have different opportunities that others can only dream of? Why am I the one with a closet full of clothes that I hardly even wear? Why am I the one who gets to travel the world? Why wasn’t I born in a small village in the middle of nowhere, having missionaries come visit me? Why me?
And then I realized that I’m not the lucky one. Jesus himself said in Matthew 19:23, “…it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Guess what? I’m the rich one, and so are you! I don’t care how bad the economy seems, those of us who live in the states are rich compared to the rest of the world. We are the exception, remember? And Jesus said it’s hard for the rich to enter His kingdom. So what does this mean?
I don’t even know. I’m still thinking and processing it in my head. And I’m sure it means something different to each person. But just think about it, how blessed you are, and ask God what that means for you.
