"We are the world..."

There are 6.7 billion people living on the earth! If everyone alive joined hands to make a human chain, it would circle the globe 250 times. Get this! Only 4.5% of the world’s population are Americans (p. 121)~ makes you feel kind of small, eh?

In order to make it more understandable, let’s pretend that the 6.7 people could be represented by one village of just 100 people. This is what that community would look like:

Out of 100 people:
60 would be Asian
14 would be African
12 would be European
8 would be Latin American
5 would be American or Canadian
1 would be from the South Pacific
51 would be male; 49 female
82 would be non-white; 18 white
67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian (p. 121)

I can hear my Daddy saying right now “Now, put that in your pipe and smoke it!”

Let’s divide those7 billion down another way ~ the haves and the have-nots! (i.e. defined by income):

“The average income in America is $38,611 per person or about $105 per day”.

“Compare that to the shocking daily reality of almost half the people on earth:
2.6 billion people (40% of the world’s people) live on less than $2 a day
1.0 billion people (15% of the world’s people) live on less than $1 a day
0.3 billion people (4.5% of the world’s people) live on $105 a day (U.S.A.) (p. 121)

So, $1 a day to more than $100 a day! Is there a disproportion represented by these facts? The average American – that’s most, if not all, of us reading this – makes more that the bottom billion people on earth!

If a portrait were painted of the aforementioned village, how distinctive would we Americans appear?

I am in process of reading perhaps the most consequential book I have read in years ~ The Hole in our Gospel (What does God expect of us? The answer that changed my life and might just CHANGE THE WORLD) by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S.

(I encourage, urge, beg, plead, beseech, implore, entreat, and pray that you will get this book ASAP and read it, share it with your family ~ including your children ~, friends, and church community!!!)

The information cited above and much of what will follow in my posts for the next several days will be from this book, as I share the impact it is having on me. I welcome your comments/feedback anytime, as I am extremely passionate about the disparity that exists between the “poor” and “rich”.

God Himself, the Creator of the Universe and of all people, from Adam until the end of time, said this: “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” Deut. 15:11 (bold mine) A command to whom? “You”! That means me and that means you! And is it an option, according to the words from the very breath of God? NO! He says, “Therefore I command you…” Just as the “10 Commandments” are not called the “10 Suggestions”, this passage states authoritatively, as an order (command), that we are to follow. But God…(have I told you how much I love those 2 powerful words)…in His mercy and love allows each of us to choose to obey or defy that command (with resulting blessings or consequences).

Please meet sweet 5-year old Roshni Munda from Tukuria, India. Roshni is the little girl my Tuesday morning ladies bible study sponsors. She lives with her mother and is responsible for running errands. Sometimes her mother works as a laborer. Currently, Roshni does not go to school; however, she loves to play with dolls, jump rope and place hide-and-seek. She does regularly attend church activities.

Tukuria, India is home to about 32,000 people. Most of the houses are made of mud walls, thatch roofs and mud floors. Roshni’s diet consists primarily of maize, potatoes and rice. Many of the children in this area suffer from fevers, malaria and scabies. Most of the adults of Tukuria are unemployed but some are laborers and earn about $23 USD per month. They need potable water, electricity, alcohol rehab programs, and proper sanitation. For our $32/month (through Compassion International) Roshni receives Bible teaching, medical exams, health education, nutritious meals, recreational activities; it also covers her preschool tuition and classes when she can attend. The Hope Child Development Center, of which she is a part, also provides meetings and parental training programs for Roshni’s Mom.

Sweet Roshni is God’s precious child, created in His image, just as you and I are. She is a victim of her circumstances ~ she did not choose to be born in poverty-stricken India. She did not choose how she lives, and has no control over her circumstances. She has NO options. But I DO have options/choices! I have the option to sacrificially give some of my income to help provide a more “normal” life for her! (Note the loose meaning of “normal” compared to our “normal”)! And, that “sacrificially” means perhaps a cup or 2 of Starbucks a month, or one nice dinner out, perhaps a manicure….something for my pleasure that, willingly and sacrificially given, can mean the difference in life and death for this innocent, helpless, child of God! She is only one of millions in need~ the women in my group and I, individually, are only one—helping one--- but never underestimate the POWER of ONE helping ONE! And…the blessing we receive, the warm fuzzy feeling we experience each month, overwhelms us! I believe we, individually and as a group, are receiving as much of a blessing, if not more, than Roshni and her Mom receive. Why? Because “it is more blessed to give than receive” (“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "-Acts 20:35)…and…it feels good to obey God, knowing the rewards I/we will receive. Luke 6:38 says: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." AMEN!

I close today with the lyrics to “We Are the World” (written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie—USA for Africa)
There comes a time when we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And its time to lend a hand to life

The greatest gift of all
We cant go on pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all part of gods great big family

And the truth, you know, love is all we need

Chorus:
We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving

There’s a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart
So they’ll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread

So we all must lend a helping hand

Chorus:
We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving

There’s a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me

When you’re down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there’s no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize that a change can only come
When we stand together as one

Chorus:
We are the world, we are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day So lets start giving

There’s a choice were making
Were saving our own lives
Its true well make a better day
Just you and me