December 12 (more)
Lord, today I looked at the Haiti pictures that K___ took… sure gave my heart strings a bit of a tug… wow, couldn’t believe the hospital kitchen and lab facilities.. so poor and decrepit…. Lord, I don’t even know what use I’d be if I sent somewhere as a missionary?? I always assumed I could teach.. but I wonder how much of what we consider “education” would even be of any use to people who are that poor? And even Bible teaching.. what is core?? (Maybe we spend way too much time on peripherals?? like the “finer points of doctrine” and “issues” and stuff??) And I can see from those pictures how we need to feed and care for people, not just preach and teach to them… (and how much we could learn from them like about what “needs” really are – compared to “wants” – and having the joy of the LORD in the midst of such despairing poverty… and being “thankful for small mercies!” Wow!
Lord, I read today that in Singapore people often wear pyjamas (and nightgowns!) out on the street as well as at home (and not just teens wearing jammie bottoms!). Apparently it started when people first began to have enough money to buy actual pyjamas instead of just wearing their clothes that had gotten too raggy to wear in public! We have a hard time imagining that! Wearing pyjamas outside proved that you were getting “wealthy!”
Boy oh boy – we really do have way too much stuff!! More and more I’m just wanting to DOWNSIZE!! (Sometimes, though, I wish for a place big enough to invite our kids to stay with us when they need to – or want to… I mean, when we move and buy a place… This place is cozy but still big enough – in my way of thinking. I guess not everyone would agree with me, though…)
As I sit here, i keep thinking, “Oh, I better get to my prayer list…” and I guess I will… but I do want to hare with You the thoughts of my heart… seeing as I’m thinking that some of them, at least, are coming from You – like the compassion I’m feeling after looking at the Haiti pictures – and the indignation (righteous, I hope) that I feel about our obscenely greedy culture and nation, and about our love of personal independence, and fame and wealth – our worship of those things. Makes me feel sick to my stomach.
On to my “list prayers”….
