Monday, September 19, 2011

We are blessed....right?

Mike and his 11 "brothers" just returned from a mission trip to Haiti.  I was excited, nervous, worried for them.  And a little jealous.  It was an amazing opportunity and I thought I would feel "left out" and struggle to "get it" when they shared all they saw, heard and felt during the week.  I have to say, for me, that hasn't been the case.  The excitement, love and respect they felt for the Haitian people has been contagious. The men shared pictures, videos and stories from their trip and it's starting to look familiar. I picked up a passport application last night at a concert, and I'm hoping to get it so I'll be ready to go if God would give me the opportunity.

The resounding theme as the men shared was "as Americans, we have been blessed."  I totally agree, the freedoms we have in our country are second to none.  I am thankful that I was born in America. But, as I got a glimpse of the Haitian Christians and their worship, my heart was overwhelmed.  They worship with abandon, no inhibitions, fully relying on God. They have nothing and yet they are thankful.  They rely on God for everything! I'd like to think that I do, too; but surrounded with my stuff like I am, I don't know that I've ever had to FULLY rely on God.  It's almost like, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking "If God doesn't come through on this, I'll take care of it myself." 

So my thought is... are we blessed?  Do we measure our blessings by what we have? Or should we measure  them by how much we rely on God?  Because I was born in America, surrounded by all the material goods I could ever really need, am I more blessed than my Haitian brothers and sisters?  Or do they understand a characteristic about God that I may only ever read about? Jehovah-Jireh--God who provides.

Don't get me wrong--I am thankful for my "stuff".  It is not wrong to be wealthy (which I would not consider myself by American standards, but by Haitian standards..)  I believe I can STILL worship God and be thankful to Him for everything I have.  But I'm saying I think it's harder to see that it's God who provides my every need when I'm pretty darn good at taking care of myself .

One of my LEAST favorite lines from any song is "Tonight, thank God it's them, instead of you". ("Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band-Aid)  I wish, for just one day,I could trade places with my Haitian Christian sisters and brothers .That  I could give up my things and see God through the eyes of  Christians  around the world who have not been born with my blessings. To completely trust God for everything. To worship Him with no inhibitions. To be able to raise my hands to Him, not worrying or caring what others think about me; only seeking to honor Him.

Disclaimer: I am only talking about "material" possessions.  The Haitian people face danger every day.  From the impurity of their water to violence in the streets.  I would not want to trade a day of that, as unfair and double-standard as that may seem.  But I am committed to praying for  them, I hope you will, too

Friday, September 16, 2011