so heres the deal. i dont understand why. i certainly cant explain it to myself or anyone else for that matter. this stuff's been flying at me from all directions lately. creeping into my thoughts, my tv, my reading material, my journal. you know all that stuff i spend my time consumed with. and its so overwhelming. what do i do with it? is this a sign of something more for me. are there things i want for my future, for my present, that i'm suppose to risk, or sacrifice? is God trying to tell me something?
this is it. a big news flash, for all those blessed...people are dying.
last week, i was flipping channels somewhere around 10:30. and i admit i've slipped on my CNN watching. gilmore girls brings more entertainment for the time being, and seriousness isnt my objective anymore. but somehow i landed on anderson cooper, a guy i've come to highly respect lately, and he was interviewing angelina jolie, a woman i also respect no matter what brads done, on his show - anderson cooper 360. apparently angelina is very much the activist of our days, and shes fighting - having babies at the same time i might add - to help, really help people in africa. so i started thinking of course, and i thought what can i do? you know, i'm 20 years old, sitting on my living room floor and eating cookies and milk. i'm currently under funded and books are going to have to bought soon. how could i possibly help? would my 10 dollars a month possibly help millions of displaced people? or could i give more? but how much is enough? and would i ever risk everything to go to africa? to stand in say congo, among the fighting, and actually be able to help someone? needless to say, i doubted myself. but it hit me...the easiest thing to do is simply pray for them. for God to continue to bless them. yes, money can buy vaccines and medicine for the untreatable illnesses. or food for famished areas. or even fix the world. but honestly, the world doesnt need more money. money got us into this mess. i believe we can fix this world with faith in a higher being, with pray for others, with knowledge of the situation and the other side, with respect despite judgement, with love for neighbors as well as enemies.
so i'm gonna make a list. a prayer list, i guess. for you readers to look at, ponder on, carry around, pray about, consider, and feel the importance of. and i know it's
long, but we dont exactly have to cover all the bases. just the basics.
*displaced people and refugees (half of the world's refugees are from the countries afghanistan, iraq, colombia, sudan, somalia - 160 nations total, 15 million people)
*rape victims in congo. children caught in the civil war. soldiers and their families. i read an article in time magazine this morning on the congo and it said that 1250 congolese die everyday from war-related causes. they suffer from bad sanitation, disease, malnutrition, and dislocation, and all because of war. they say its worse than WWII. and most of the victims are innocent children caught in the conflicts of adults. and what is so amazing is that they have such high spirits. women raped for days by government officals still feel as though their enemies can never break their spirits no matter what they do to their bodies. and those families touched by tragedy are still struggling for survival. pray it'll come.
*genocide victims in darfur, africa. suffering from the same thing that happened in rwanda, and that is happening throughout the world. people killed for being who they are. for those doing the attacking, for their ignorance and their prejudice to be destroyed. also, the food supply in darfur.
*children in cambodia who have been taken into the world of human trafficking. this isnt the only country by far, but one of the worst. small girls and boys sold by their families into a life of shame, losing their innocence and gaining nothing.
*aids (and other diseases) victims in rwanda, many of which are children, as well as throughout africa. for the medical teams treating these patients, and for those working to find a cure.
*for tsunami, katrina, and pakistan earthquake victims struggling to rebuild their lives. that they'll see the light at the end of the tunnel and feel blessed in more ways than one.
*for the war we're currently in. for both sides of the fighting. for the people of iraq caught in the war we started. the war we dont face daily but they do. for our adminstration and they priorities, no matter what decisions they make. for the alleged "terrorists" defending what they believe to be honorable in the only way they know how.
mainly...just for peace.calm.joy.faith.love.hope.mercy.compassion.
so i wanna hear what you think. i'm listening.
p.s. check out these photoessays on time.com
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2006/congo_audio/
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
it's hard to remember and recongize such things and not feel a sense of helplessness. i mean it's scary, and so easy to sit here and be comfortable and keep the rest at a distance. i hate that. but i think you're right, cori, prayer will probably go further than anything else we have or can do. which isn't to say other things shouldn't be done, they just pale in comparison. God is sovereign. ever wonder what would happen if all God's kids actually prayed with a sense of unity, conviction, and faith? Man. Wow.
Post a Comment