Amist all the Black Friday shopping and clicking, I thought I’d post a blog on gratitude because we always, always, always have things to be grateful for!
This month, my heart has been broken over and over again for the people in Eastern Europe. After the first week on the Race, I think my mind went numb to the things I was seeing because they became “normal”. I’d go on my morning walks not thinking twice about the houses I was walking by that were literally crumbling before my eyes (my teammate rested her head on one of the houses of a woman we were praying for and it truly started crumbling down!). On my walks, I walked by person after person digging through the dumpsters for some extra food or clothes, never thinking twice about it.
One day, as I was going on my morning walk, I stumbled upon this house. My initially reaction was that surely no one lived there. Moments later, I watched a father and four children walk out of the house with their backpacks on. He was taking his kids to the run-down school across the street.
I see houses like this all the time, but for some reason this one hit me hard. Tears flooded my eyes and I could feel my legs starting to give out. Before I knew it I was on my knees. I felt like I lost every ounce of strength in me. My teammate and one of my best friends, Ali, says that there’s two types of cries: a cute cry and an ugly cry. Friends, let me tell you.. this was an ugly cry, a really, really ugly cry. Probably one of the most ugly cries. I wish I had photo documentation so you could confirm this. The tears wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t get a grip on my emotions, and I was standing in the middle of a heavily trafficked sidewalk. It was awkward for everyone.
I pray everyday that, although it hurts, for God to break my heart for what breaks His. Last time He did was when I was in the orphanage. And here I was again, completely broken for the people He’s put in my path.
Broken because of the condition of this sweet family’s home, because of the future that these little children were likely to face, because these people may never see any other part of this beautiful World, because these people may never know what it’s like to take a hot shower, own a washer, and live on more than $2USD a day.
Most of all, I was broken because my heart has grown so disgustingly numb to the abundant material blessings we have in the States. Prior to the Race, it didn’t even phase me that I get to take a hot shower, that a machine washes my clothes and dishes, that I have access to a car that allows me to see new places everyday, that I get to go to the grocery store without being overly stressed about how I was going to pay for all my food.
Life on the Race seems “normal”.
Showering once or twice a week seems normal. Never knowing if I’m going to get a warm shower seems normal. Having to heat up all of our food and water on the stove seems normal. Living on less than $3 a day seems normal. Not having a washer, dryer, or dishwasher seems normal. Wearing one of four outfits everyday seems normal. Not having enough money to go out to eat seems normal. Meeting people who aren’t educated past 6th grade seems normal. Meeting people that have never left their country or city, despite living 30 miles away from 3 bordering countries seems normal. Having to walk outside to use the toilet seems normal. Having to walk miles and miles to the grocery store seems normal. The list goes on and on. Life just seems so normal even though its so vastly different from life in the States.
One day as I was thinking about this, it hit me…
THIS IS NORMAL!
It’s normal for people to only get to shower once or twice a week. It’s normal for people to take cold showers. It’s normal for hot water to run out. It’s normal to have to boil your water. Its normal to have to sleep on the ground. it’s normal to have to share a room and bathroom with 6 other people. It’s normal to have to hang your clothes to dry. It’s normal to have to struggle back from the grocery store with bags in your hand because you don’t have a car. It’s normal to never leave the state/country you grew up in. Life on the Race is normal! Life in America is not normal. Living like the top 2% of the World is anything but normal.
The life my parents have worked so hard for me to have is quite literally anything but normal. Most the World doesn’t have access to the things we have in the United States. The vast majority of people in the countries we’ve visited don’t even have enough money to purchase a laptop, let alone a radio. The iPhones we have in our hands are worth far more than people’s cars here, and the MacBooks we have sitting on our desks are far more valuable than people’s yearly wages here. Millions upon millions of people live a life of material scarcity in both the United States and outside of the United States, and I’m complaining about taking an ice cold shower when I should have been grateful for getting to experience what a hot shower feels like.
God has used my time in Eastern Europe for many purposes, but one, that I hope to take with me wherever I go, is to never grow numb to the abundant material blessings we have in the United States.
I wanted to share this story with you for a few reasons:
First, to encourage you to always seek a heart of gratitude even when your day doesn’t seem to be going as well as you’d like. When your boss doesn’t give you the raise you wanted, be reminded that you likely make more money in a year than many people do in their life time. When your car breaks down on the side of the road, be reminded of the millions and millions of people who walk ten-plus miles to work everyday. When your call drops, be reminded that millions and millions of people can’t afford a phone and that your phone is more valuable than most people’s cars or yearly wage. When your hot water heater isn’t working properly, be reminded that millions of people don’t have access to running water and will never experience a hot shower. Again, the list goes on and on.
Second, I wanted to share this with you to remind you of how, despite our material blessings, we are still called to live a life dependent on God. The Bible tells us multiple times what a blessing it is to be “poor” because sometimes, in the midst of material wealth, we become prideful and forget to rely on the One who gives us all these gifts.
Third, to remind us where our true joy comes from. Things of this World can and will only bring us temporary joy. True joy is that comes from Jesus is constant, never changing, and never dependent on our circumstances or materials. The new car, the new dress, the new television, the new ___ will bring us temporary joy, but it will never truly fulfill us. Our hearts were made to long for fulfillment, but we will never find true fulfillment outside of the Lord.
May we always, despite our circumstances, be reliant on the Provider of it all.
May our eyes be opened the vastness of the material blessings we have.
May we stop chasing the wind and start chasing the one thing that really matters.
May we always seek to have a heart of gratitude.
I hope and pray that our eyes will continue to be opened more and more to the blessings we’ve been given. I pray we never cling to “our” materials but hold them with an open hand and use them to glorify the Kingdom.
“Because God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.” ~Augustine of Hippo
I’d venture to guess that people in Eastern Europe have much, much more than the people I will visit in the coming months in Africa and Asia. My squad and I begin our travels to Zambia, Africa on December 2nd. Please be in prayer for safe travel and smooth transitions.
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles.
~Psalm 105:1-5
