i was at the mall this afternoon...let me just say that i'm not a huge fan of the mall for multiple reasons...
but none the less, i am on the hunt for "the perfect dress." i need it for the rehearsal dinner for Dawn's wedding. and so the hunt began...
as i was looking around the stores, my heart felt very dissatisfied. i found myself wanting everything i saw and even found myself wishing i had more money to be able to afford the cloths i really want to wear.
now i must pause here and let you in on a little something about me...i'm not one of those people that says they just enjoy the "finer things in life" as an excuse to purchase ridiculously overpriced things. i'm almost the opposite of that. i guess growing up with parents that were living paycheck to paycheck kinda teaches you that there's more to life than said "finer things." at an early age, i learned that happiness and love could not be found in those things. and even though i didn't grow up in a God-honoring home either, i learned that those things would never satisfy.
so, back to the mall...
as i was looking at these beautiful dresses, all i could think about were the people in africa i met...each item of clothing represented a child starving...and with each thoughtless purchase, i was allowing that to happen.
i was about to buy a dress that cost more than they made in a year...yes, a year...and i had to ask myself, "why am i looking for a dress to buy when i have plenty at home that i never wear?"
the mall became this bottomless pit full of things that don't matter...just things...
africa is a continent full of people that do matter.
I put the dress down...
and walked out.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Tag! You're it! Now you have to tell us 10 random facts about yourself. Check my blog for details.
Yes... that is exactly what people try to fight everyday. The urge to not be selfish(although some people have completely locked away that urge away altogether). And today you decided not to fight, and choose the road less traveled. I applaud you for your courage and care.
This is the biggest reason why I want to go on more mission trips. You don't understand how to truly live until you step out of your life.
Thank you for this post.
Thanks for the encouragement Jo! It means a lot!
Absolutely. People matter far more than things. Every time.
An alcoholic would call that a "moment of clarity". Good for you though.
Another thing - Haiti is a lot closer to home and is worse off economically than a lot of African nations. Their per capita is about 3 dollars per day - and thats what I think about when I'm tempted to buy that peppermint mocha cappaccino at Starbucks
good point about haiti. i've had haiti on my heart for about two years now...i've wanted to go there since then but kenya grabbed me first. :)
it is crazy to think about the drastic differences even in their direct neighbor dominican republic. i hope that while it has become trendy to go to africa that people won't forget about the nations outside of africa that are just as bad or worse off.
Post a Comment