Perspective

For the most part, Americans are well-insulated from what is happening in the rest of the world.  Unless we make a deliberate effort we just focus on our own lives and how things are going in our corner of the world.

Yesterday we had an experience that has become unusual in this Southern African country.  Our power was off for hours.  We do occasionally have an outage when there is a severe storm but usually they do not last long.  This one lasted about six hours, although it did come on briefly (and I do mean briefly!) a few times before it finally stayed on. That was a bit difficult.  Since it went off in the afternoon it was not too difficult until it came time to fix supper and then as it got dark.  We have some special blessings.  A small generator was donated to us for the use of the church at Timbutini.  Most of the time during the week it stays with us.  We were able to keep our refrigerator cold and then as it got dark even have one light and charge the phone.  I did have to make some adjustments to what we were going to have for supper but that was not a hardship.  

Contrast that with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.  The attackers have deliberately damaged or destroyed their infrastructure so that they have very little access to electricity.  Whereas it is summer and warm weather here in the southern hemisphere, it is bitter cold winter in Ukraine.  People are struggling just to keep warm.  They have no idea when the attacks will stop and when they will have reliable utilities again.  For us the outage was an inconvenience.  For them it is life threatening.  A REAL problem.

Consider the people of Somalia.  Did you know that they are in the midst of a famine?  It is unlikely that it made the news in North America.  I had to adjust my meal plans due to the power outage but I had something to prepare.  The people of Somalia are watching their children suffer and die because they have nothing to feed them.  They have a REAL problem.

I know that things are getting more difficult in North America as inflation is high and prices are rising.  Many people are having to adjust their travel plans or eliminate some of the spending they usually do at Christmas time.  How many of your neighbors are living in cold, dark homes?  How many are sitting in the subways while missiles fly overhead?  How many people do you know who are malnourished and watching their children suffer and die?  

Consider your blessings.  Put things in perspective.  Pray for those who are suffering.  Share your blessings with the poor and needy (there are a lot of them all over the world).  Praise God that he gave you enough and to spare and use it for His glory.