Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Grasping Reality


One thing I came to realize on Saturday & Sunday while standing there hoping that people would be interested in my group was that I don't think people want to change.

I think people like living a disposable, ever increasing in stuff, forever going into debt type of lifestyle. I'm sorry, that sounds seriously harsh, but its how I feel deep down inside.

Ok let me step back and just say--I WAS that person not that long ago. And some days I want to be that person--I want to just have the conviences of what is out there. I dont' want to worry about if my garbage will decompose in my lifetime! There are days where I just want to take a huge bath for hours on end, refilling the bath numerous times just to get more hot water all the while drinking a huge Coke out of a cup with a lid and a straw! Then when I'm done I want to get into a huge hummer and just cruise down the street.
Ok ok now I'm getting silly, but it is how I do feel sometimes (minus the Hummer part!).
Being there last weekend at church seeing everyone walk by and just sort of glancing or not making eye contact, just made me so sad. Made me want to shake people and say, "OPEN your eyes people! There are people in other countries working for hours for nothing so you can get a $14 toy at Wal-Mart! There are people in Zimbabwe that are dying of Cholera and we don't' even TALK about people in other countries!!!!"

How are we so blind?

Why am I such a grass roots person here feeling like I'm just telling people to think just think for a moment about how small children are dying because they don't have clean drinking water available to them. And yet here in the US we spend more on cars then what it would cost to bring clean drinking water to a tribe in Africa. It just sickens me....and makes me sad to think of all the horrible diseases some of us might get, cancer, tumors, etc because of the toxic things in our food and water because we want to have the convience to just dump our crap into the dump.
I'm sorry, but I just need to vent.
I think I've come to grasp that this is the frustration God sees on a daily basis. He must look down on his people and wonder how we don't see those hurting overseas or the homeless under bridges. He must grieve as well. He must....
I can say that we turn a blind eye because there was a homeless group sharing a table with us and he had a few people stop by but most just sort of gazed at him and looked for the familiar "christian" things like Growing Kids God's Way or the Dave Ramsey University. Those things are not uncomfortable because they are heavily endorsed by pastors and talked about by pastors. To be honest, I have never heard a sermon preached about reaching out to those outside of the country or helping the homeless for example....I've never heard it preached from the pulpit. I guess we've grown accustomed to thinking, "someone else will do it. its their calling and/or passion, not mine."
Now that I am that "some else" it makes me mad. The blinders have been ripped off and now that I'm seeing the world thru a whole new perspective and it makes me even more mad.
Little do pastors know that helping others and those in needs only makes us happier. Pastors, there is no need to preach about living a more fulfilled life because just reaching out fulfills people! There is no need to talk about finding the real you God wants you to be---the real "us" (Christians) is looking outside of ourselves and asking God, "tell me what you want me to do!" Ok I do recognize that some people shouldn't be helping others until they come to realize they are on the messed up side and need to forgive people before they can truly be used, but giving food to the homeless doesn't take much. In fact, ti takes very very little...just looking outside ourselves and seeing that we have so much to give....so much to give.
I'm done.
Thank you for letting me vent.
I needed to do that.
Not trying to offend anyone...just needing to say my peace and move on. I'm moving on now.

2 comments:

Brianna said...

There is nothing wrong with your vent. We all like things the way that we are used to having them. It can be hard to change that. Think of how small you started and how far it has taken you. I would so join your group-but I'm glad to have gotten so many good tips from you already. It can be hard to make these changes, see the good they do, and then watch as others don't. But you are doing your best to educate others and doing all you can personally. You are serving God successfully in both ways. I'm so proud of you and glad you are my friend!

Rachel Ann said...

I'm sorry that you are frustrated...I feel your pain! Unfortunately, we can't make people stop and listen. Nor can we force them to open themselves up to new ideas...they have to want it in order for it to be beneficial to themselves and to those around them!

Hey, look at me...you are affecting me and we live 300 miles apart!