i recently heard a presentation from a businessman who had gone to the Philippines on a mission trip. of all the things i came away with, what stuck with me the most was this. "if we do not live our lives with purpose and meaning, are we really even living?" i haven't been able to get that out of my head.especially with how i have been feeling lately. my life is lacking in purpose. i have
everything that more than i need. i started questioning my motive behind big purchases. how could i justify spending $200, $300, $400 on camera equipment but i am not heeding
James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."?
another inconsistency with my beliefs came the other night. i was feeling frustrated in my singleness and was considering re-joining eHarmony. before i got to the payment part, i thought of how ridiculous it seemed for me to pay to find someone when there are children out there without enough to food eat, shoes to wear, or a safe place to go during the day. that's when i made the decision to sponsor a child from
compassion international.
enough with the whining. take action. i frequently get on a soap box about social justice but i never put it into action because i "didn't have enough money to give." well, looking around at all of my
belongings stuff, i realized that i do have enough. and if i have to forgo starbucks a few times, skip a dinner out, or "make do without" than this
makes it all worth it. this is adeline. she is 11 years old and lives in berkina faso,one of the poorest countries in west africa. adeline takes care of the younger children in the home and her mother is only sometimes employed.
it's time to put my money,
literally, where my mouth is.
the video shown in the presentation? the children were walking and picking their way through the garbage dump. they were singing and smiling. they have purpose. and i hope i do now, too.
It's such a hard line to walk. On one hand, our compassion, time, and money can change the lives of our neighbors, both local and global. On the other hand, there comes a point at which we begin to pour ourselves empty. This is half my clientele - women who have sacrificed their lives, money, and selves to the church, children, and community. And strangely enough, they are left feeling....empty.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I love about you is that you have spent the past 2 years working on YOU - becoming healthy, finding your passion in photography, etc. And now that you are finding that balance, you have a surplus of positive energy to spread to others. Instead of pouring from empty like my clients, you are pouring from full. And even if you don't go on eHarmony, I think that your positive, overflowing energy will attract all sorts of hunks :) (though I do have to put it a good word...eHarmony worked pretty spectacularly for me....)
I think you made an excellent choice. Last week I got a letter from my sponsor kid, who's now 14, and it made my day. As for spending money on camera stuff, set a budget on how much you can spend each month, and set aside the money you earn, to put it back into our business. When you can't afford to help others, use your camera to tell the stories of those less fortunate.
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