Remembering

I admit it, the past few weeks I have gotten really caught up in the little things. I had some stressful days at work, our nanny was sick, I had arguments with the boys at the bus stop, I didn't have the time to go run that I wanted, our lawn has a big brown spot....the list goes on.  Each hurdle has felt like a mountain and I have been overwhelmed. I've let myself get really upset and made everything into a big deal. I think Micah thinks I might be going crazy. (yes, I cried out of frustration at the bus stop.)

And then tonight we went to church and walked in to a video of our mission trip on the screen as the worship team sang "We will remember , we will be grateful."

Seriously???? How does God know that's exactly what I needed today? 

The emotion that hits me is huge. I watch that video and am reminded of what really matters. 

How much time did I spend this week praying for little Brian and the orphans I cried to leave there? How much energy did I spend planning the La Carpio clinic project-making the vision God gave me there into a reality? How much did I remember?

Not so much. 

Tonight I looked back on some of my preliminary research I've done in my project planning and focused on the facts....

-80% of the world lives on less than $10/day

-13% of the world population lives in hunger

-10 million children die in world yearly-over 2/3 of those are due to hunger and preventable diseases

-the average Costa Rican income is $10,900/year, Nicaraguan  income is $2,800/year

-La Carpio is made up of 40,000 people-most of whom are illegal Nicarguan immigrants who have moved for the chance at a better life

-Over 60% of La Carpio residents live below the poverty line (as opposed to 22% of the national population)

Crazy......and humbling

Often I get so wrapped up in life and the things that mean so little (does it really matter if the dog dug up all the vegetable seeds I planted?) I forget to be grateful. I forget to count my blessings. I forget that even if everything I worry about was "perfect" I would still find something else to worry about.

My worries are nothing. I have never worried that my children won't have anything to eat-instead we debate over which restaurant to go to tonight. I have always had a roof over my head-yet we argue about how clean the boy's rooms are. I have never considered moving to another country to find a better job-instead we watch politicians accuse each other of being the downfall of America. I don't think about clean water as it comes out of my faucet or war in my backyard as we enjoy our pool or how to pay the bills as we plan our next vacation.

That all sounds really spoiled and I hate that. I just mean to point out that all of us have more than most. All of us are the "haves" even when we feel like the "have nots." It's too easy to forget.

It's time to stop living in my bubble and focus on what matters. I need to remember.

"and what does the Lord require of you? Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

P. S. Thank you, Mark Shook and Community of Faith for my wake up call today.