Check Your Priviledge!
If you are anything like me you have probably been told to “check your priviledge“ before. As a middle class white American I am constantly told to check my privilege. I am constantly reminded of people who have less than me or are marginalized more than me. Getting a scholarship is impossible when you are the epitome of the average American! You know what, I do need to check my privilege all the time! I need to remember how much every thing in my life is a blessing! I do not feel threatened on a daily basis and that is a blessing. I have heat and air conditioning, that is a blessing. I have a cell phone and access to anything with the touch of a finger, that is a blessing. There are many Americans who I have so much more than. And I do my part to help where I can. Could I do more? Of course I could, but couldn’t we all?
I want to challenge you today to go one step further and to remember that if you live in America, you have more privilege than most. Even if you are “poor” in America you are rich by other countries standards. If you have a roof over our head and shoes on your feet, you are rich. If you live off of more than $50 a day you are in the worlds highest-income bracket. You are considered a part of the richest people on earth. This includes over 56% of the American population! This is only talking about financial richness. Not even that we have the right to education, the right to vote, freedoms of speech…. just to name a few things we take for grated! We as Americans are rich in freedom and opportunities.
So please join me in praying for the people in the many countries who do not experience the luxuries that we do! I pray that these people will find refuge and hope. I pray that we, as Americans, will check our privilege and do our part to help. Whatever you can give can be multiplied for so much good! Take a moment today to think about the many blessings in your life and pray thanks for these. If you feel lead please see the specific needs of countries below and pray over these needs as well! We can all do something each day to help others (donate goods, donate services, donate money, pray for others)! Whether our choose to help locally or help globally just get out there and use your priviledge for good!!
Haiti: the poorest country in the Western Hemispher, Rampit destruction from numerous natural disasters
The Dominican Republic: Still recovering from 2010 earthquak, home to many refugees from Haiti
South Africa: major drought, they are very close to running out of water
Botswana: drought and desertification
Zambia: many orphans and widows
India: over population, natural disasters in 2017
Nepal: lack of health education and health services (specifically for women)
Romania: air pollution and water pollution
Albania: Flooding in 2010, considered on of the UN’s most at risk countries for natural disasters
Bulgaria: the air is considered the dirtiest in Europe
Serbia: air and water pollution
America: hunger, homelessness, healthcare, crime…. the list goes on
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and praying!
Duteronomy 15:11
”For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”
Ephesians 4:28
”Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
Luke 3:10-11
”’what should we do then?’ The crowd asked. John answered, ‘ anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, any anyone who has food should do the same.’”
