At church this weekend, our pastor listed numerous shocking statistics about world poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and the devastation of waterborne diseases on humanity. (For a comprehensive website, Global Issues, click here).
What was my pastor’s point? Americans live in abundance compared to most of the world. He suggested that we are a very fortunate and blessed nation that has a distorted view of ourselves! He reminded us, even if we are personally struggling financially and experiencing cutbacks or sacrifice, we still live above and beyond the lowest, basic standards of the rest of the world.
To highlight the disparity between what we want and need, he revealed that the price to end poverty, provide water, or medical aid to the malnourished, disease-stricken, and impoverished nations (especially for children) would cost under $10 billion dollars each, but Americans yearly spend…
$8 billion on cosmetics
$20 billion on ice cream, and
$475 billion on gifts (between Thanksgiving and Christmas)!
Wow! Doesn't this information make you want to be a grateful, thankful American by making little changes in the way you spend your time and money knowing with certainty that it will have big results in someone else's life?
This Thanksgiving and Christmas, share a meal or gifts with families who are in need or hurting. Visit the sick, imprisoned or shut-in or have a garage sale and send all the proceeds to the poorest children locally or globally. Spend 5 minutes searching the Internet for your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter and be linked immediately with those who need your time and money.
Make this your most grateful, thankful and Happy Thanksgiving!
Be encouraged,
Becky
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