Turn Your eyes upon Jesus

Sometimes I find myself getting so caught up in what the world thinks. How it views me as a person, as an image, and as a being. And then slowly but surely it takes me down into brainwashing my mind to think like the world. I start viewing people that God created to be called into His Glory, as dirt. I start judging them for what they do, not what they CAN do. I start looking at them and think, "I'm better than them." And it TAKES ME DOWN. I believe that all this reasoning happens because I am so caught up in my own problems, issues, and self, that I forget about everyone else in the world. I forget that people are living on less than $1, and that 26,000 children die every day of starvation that I could prevent from happening with MY money. I forget about this past summer, when all I cared about was other people's problems. All I cared about was how I could further help them and further bring them closer and closer to Christ so they could do the same for others.

There are so many "problems" in America. People get so unnecessarily c o n s u m e d with themselves that they don't even notice truly hurting people. I have found that when we care about our own problems, we neglect other people's problems immensely more. But, when we are so concerned with other people's needs, our "needs" slip further and further away, eventually disappearing.

Slowly as the summer has moved further and further away, so has the spiritual "high" I have felt. I questioned God, why this was happening. Why would He seemingly pull me further away from Him? He has begun to show me that it's nothing He is doing...it's never anything HE is doing, its always me. When I was in Uganda and Indianapolis and Guatemala, the need was so REAL, so in-my-face. I would stare out over the slum and my heart would hurt and ache to help these people. I would look down on that little town in Panajachel, and I saw the need. Skinny children seemed to scream at me in complete silence as their bellies protruded from their bodies. Lifeless eyes jumped out at me as I passed hurting people, looking for something, any hope that could be found. The need stuck out so obviously, and I felt called to act on it, so I did.

But, you see, in America, people's problems are disguised. Americans complain about everything, (I mean working at chick-fil-a is a big testimony of that) but their r e a l need is so disguised. It's so much harder to act on what God commands us to do. Because that involves moving. Making a move to accomplish work for God.

When I returned, I didn't understand. Why does God allow these people to corrupt and corrupt and corrupt. It seems that He doesn't even care. Oh, but He does..and He has equipped all of us to GO in our country, states, cities, towns, and even churches to be His hands and feet. To love like He does. BE CONSUMED WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S NEEDS. It takes your eyes off your own, and points you and them towards the REAL Helper: Jesus.