God Bless America

I went to a conference a few weeks ago where the speaker discussed the personal accounts of Iraqi women refugees in Jordan. At the time, I did not experience a notable reaction to her presentation, but it did spark some very powerful thoughts within me that I just can't shake.

One of the overwhelming thoughts running through my head is my total lack of comprehension about why I have such an amazing life. I am blown away thinking about how fortunate I am. I do not believe the Lord has placed us in our situations randomly, but when you think of the odds of being born in such fortunate circumstances, all I can say is, WOW (and thank you)!

As Americans, we are very sheltered from the rest of the world and take our comforts for granted as the norm around the world, when in fact, most of the world struggles to merely exist. I sat and complained to myself the other day when I waited at the doctor's office for 2 hours. But I didn't even have to pay to go because my insurance covered the expense! I'm not worried about diseases like the swine flu because I am healthy, drink clean water, and have nutritious food to eat. Medicine that can save my life only costs $4!

The stories of these women were awful. One woman was delivered a garbage bag with human pieces in it. After piecing it together like a puzzle, she found it was her husband. Others wear the traditional veils just to avoid violent advances from men. And can you imagine sending your 13 year old daughter across town to work to provide for the family, requiring her to walk home alone at 3am? Massacres, terrorism, war, rape, kidnapping, poverty, epidemics, and natural disasters happen nearly every day and go unnoticed by me. I never even think about them. And I certainly never imagine anything like that could ever possibly happen where I live. What a blessing. How fortunate I am.

I want to resolve to be grateful. To stop complaining. To appreciate having a car, even when it takes me 15 minutes to get through traffic instead of the regular 12. To be grateful that I can see a doctor the same day I get sick, even if that means sitting in a waiting room for two hours. For having "big" worries that include mischarges on a bill or a dead zone on my cell phone. How terrible that "I have nothing to eat at my house" because my options are all canned or frozen and I can simply drive 2 minutes away to the grocery store. I cannot imagine literally starving or wondering where I will sleep that night. How lucky I am to worry about the extra 5-10 pounds I've put on when so many people would do anything for the abundance in food I have--or even my skinny shape.

Thank you God for blessing me with such bounty! And please bless those without! I admire their resilience, strength, humility, and gratitude. And help me to bless the lives of those who are not as fortunate as I.