This morning, did you have to decide which outfit to wear?
Did you check your watch, then think about taking a shower... or not?
Did you choose what you wanted to eat for breakfast– cereal, eggs, toast, or coffee from Starbucks?
These may sound like strange, silly questions about simple, mundane things, but let me point this out to you: if you are making choices, you are living in luxury.
I was reminded of this the other day when my daughter needed to wash her hands and she came to tell me that someone was in the bathroom.
"Remember, you can always use the other bathroom," I told her. "In fact, you can wash your hands in the kitchen. We have three sinks in this house! THREE!"
At that moment, I was struck by the prosperity around me. Not only do we have three sinks, but they all have hot and cold water! And we have four bedrooms! Families in Hong Kong squeeze into tiny one or two bedroom apartments. And not only do I have one car, I have TWO! Children in Africa walk miles to retrieve water or to go to school. And, if you count all the plates in our house (even if they are chipped or mismatched), we have enough for ten medium-sized families!
And this is only material wealth we're talking about. What about the freedom to do what you want with your time? To say what you want? To go where you want? People in China cannot speak freely. Children in India work all day in dangerous conditions. Men and women in many countries are imprisoned by corrupt police for unjust reasons. There are people STILL living in slavery today, even in the United States, and choice is something they can only dream of.
Take a few seconds today to stop and think whenever you are making a choice. Usually, we make everyday decisions without giving them much thought. Which shoes? Which book? Which store?– we take them all for granted. But our gratefulness will abound if we start seeing that the choice itself is a gift. We will begin to see that everything, from our abilities to walk and talk to reading this blog on a computer, is from God.
Then, if you are interested in learning more about poverty, slavery, and injustice around the world, check out these links:
Compassion International- Facts about poverty- My family has sponsored two children through Compassion International. I especially love reading stories about their "graduates" and how they are now using their education and knowledge to help their families and communities escape poverty.
Made in a Free World- The founder and CEO of this organization used to lead worship at the church I attended in Oakland. He is a gifted songwriter and singer (I often have one of his songs going in my head), but has decided to use his talents to tackle something bigger. Their Slavery Footprint "game" is eye-opening, as is their blog.
International Justice Mission- People living in poverty can barely afford food, so when they are in need of a lawyer or advocate, they are often helpless in their situation. IJM have put rapists in prison and freed innocent men and women. They are also on the front lines of the war against slavery, especially sex-trafficking.
And this is only material wealth we're talking about. What about the freedom to do what you want with your time? To say what you want? To go where you want? People in China cannot speak freely. Children in India work all day in dangerous conditions. Men and women in many countries are imprisoned by corrupt police for unjust reasons. There are people STILL living in slavery today, even in the United States, and choice is something they can only dream of.
Take a few seconds today to stop and think whenever you are making a choice. Usually, we make everyday decisions without giving them much thought. Which shoes? Which book? Which store?– we take them all for granted. But our gratefulness will abound if we start seeing that the choice itself is a gift. We will begin to see that everything, from our abilities to walk and talk to reading this blog on a computer, is from God.
Then, if you are interested in learning more about poverty, slavery, and injustice around the world, check out these links:
Compassion International- Facts about poverty- My family has sponsored two children through Compassion International. I especially love reading stories about their "graduates" and how they are now using their education and knowledge to help their families and communities escape poverty.
Made in a Free World- The founder and CEO of this organization used to lead worship at the church I attended in Oakland. He is a gifted songwriter and singer (I often have one of his songs going in my head), but has decided to use his talents to tackle something bigger. Their Slavery Footprint "game" is eye-opening, as is their blog.
International Justice Mission- People living in poverty can barely afford food, so when they are in need of a lawyer or advocate, they are often helpless in their situation. IJM have put rapists in prison and freed innocent men and women. They are also on the front lines of the war against slavery, especially sex-trafficking.
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