Before I left home I had a nice meal with a couple of friends at a local restaurant. $15 for a burger, fries, and beer. Nothing too fancy. Just really good food and a nice conversation. It couldn’t have been more commonplace or usual in the US.
But here, what does it mean to spend $15 to eat one meal?
Here $15 could buy enough food to feed a family for a month. Kids here are growing up stunted and underdeveloped because of malnutrition.
I couldn’t eat a $15 meal in front of my neighbors without feeling incredibly guilty. Does it really make that much difference when I’m thousands of miles away? Whether I see the hungry kids or not, they are still here.
I don’t have any answers for this. And thankfully, I don’t think Jesus requires us to have it all figured out. But I do think we need to wrestle with these kind of questions.
Jesus doesn’t say “Blessed are the righteous”, ie: those who have it all figured out and only do the right thing. He does say, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled”. God is on the side of those who long for a right way. God is for the people who struggle with the things in this world that aren’t right so much they feel it as much as they feel hunger and thirst.
I don’t think it’s wrong to eat a nice meal, even if it costs $15 (or more) where you are. I’m just hopeful that there’s a way to live in that world that is responsible and respectful and compassionate towards this world.
Because, honestly, they are the same world. Where you live and where I live are the same place. We live on the same planet, breath the same air, eat the same food, drink the same water, and are not so far away or disconnected as we might think. The hungry, dirty, barefoot kids who beg from me at the train station are begging from you too.
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5 comments:
You have truly made the phrase "world view" meaningful with this posting, Kenny. It helps me to understand you better and it gives me much to reflect upon. Much love and daily prayers are with you.
Aunt Beth
loved this stream of thought and its conclusion.
especially this part, 'God is on the side of those who long for a right way'... i may steal that someday ;)
And the question is, how do we make the changes that would mean no children had to beg for food, anywhere?
Love you Kenny
mom
I've struggled with a lot of guilt this summer over the crux of this issue. Does enjoying my life with friends and family in a relatively simple manner (for where I live) recuse me of not using my resources in a way that leaves more to give to those in need? I'm still searching for the answers.
Thanks for the reminder that we need to be aware that all that we do (and do not do) has repurcussions all over the world. It's not my $15 meal that necessarily will affect a large group of people, or even one child, but it is the accumulated effect of a nation ignoring its neighbors (both within and without) that has such a huge impact. So, for myself, I just need to be more conscious more of the time - thanks Kenny!
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