Tuesday

Hungry


I don't know the meaning of hunger.  

Oh, there are moments, when I'm dieting, that I think I will faint without something sweet.

Not exactly the definition of starving.

But at my fingertips, I have a vast array of choices and could satisfy my stomach at my choosing.

I have noticed the rise in food costs and the increase in fuel.  I've renewed my membership to The Grocery Game to build up my pantry and we've opted to stay closer to home for our summer road trips.  

But, we are still eating as much as we want (and that's why I need to diet) and we have enough money to purchase gasoline, even though we cringe at the pump.

My home is slightly affected by the changes in our economy.

But when you look at our world and read about the Global Food Crisis, I am in the minority.

Tomorrow, June 25, has been declared a day of fasting and prayer for hungry people around our globe.  

Can you imagine offering your daughter soup made from tree leaves?  Or encouraging your son to sleep during lunch, so his hungry tummy won't hurt so badly?

I cannot.

Blessings abound in America.  When we see $4 a gallon, we complain, but we continue our life.  

We eat.  

Today, I watched a video clip about an 11 year old boy in Indonesia who was being given to an orphanage because his parents could no longer feed him and his two younger brothers.  How could they? I swallowed the lump in my throat as I heard his mother say, "Be tough."

Love knows no limits.  

Take a minute to pray for those who are less fortunate.  When you look into the precious face of your child today, picture the mother across the ocean who is asking God for a miracle to feed her child, and pray for her.

The next bite of food you take, pause, whisper a prayer for those without.  Share this with your kids and make a difference.  You can visit Compassion International and give here.  

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have never felt so guilty as I do sitting at work reading this post while munching on gummy SweetTarts. We have so much while most of the world has so little.

I think I may have to add a few more items to the food drive box in the lobby tomorrow.

bunchofbull-ers! said...

Thank you for the reminder. I am convicted. We ARE blessed. And I will remember to pray for those that are really starving. I could not imagine not being able to feed my children AT ALL.

Valarie Lea said...

It is a shame that we don't think twice about how good we have it.

It puts things into prespective.

We tend to be a nation of "out of sight, out of mind" thinkers. Lets pray that we will remember those less fortunate than us and not forget.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for that reminder.

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

A very clear picture...and how blessed we have been to not have these worries, yet.

The Girl Next Door said...

Thanks for the link. I saw that video, too, and thought, "I should do something" but then I didn't. NOW I did - it's but a drop in the bucket, but at least it's a start.

Jillie Bean (AKA Bubba's Sis) said...

Thank you for this stark reminder of how good we really have it. It breaks my heart when I think of those who go without, especially the children.

Anonymous said...

thank you for the great reminder!! i will pray for those in need!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for calling attention to this issue! God has placed the plight of starving children on my heart lately, and husband and I are planning to sponsor a child starting next month!

Karen said...

What timing. I've started dieting this week and have moaned and whined about how hard it is to not be able to eat what I want.

Lesson heard.

Anonymous said...

I too have been really struck and convicted by how very good I have it and how much I take it for granted. My heart truly breaks for those moms who have to watch their children starve.

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing this. We are so blessed in our country. This is a wonderful lesson to teach our children.

Unknown said...

We have a missions jar at our house. The boys save change and put it in the jar. They do chores for their grandparents, get paid and then put it in the jar. They have already given $60 for starving children in Niger. We are close to $100 now and we will be sending it to needy children in Africa.
I try to make sure they understand that there are desperate situations all around us that need our prayer and financial help.

Amanda said...

thank you for posting this and sharing such a heart felt desire for these people. We are soooo blessed daily and yet we complain about the littlest things. Thank you for reminding me to be greatful for the bounty that I have and to pray daily for those how dont.

Anonymous said...

We have a buttload of family coming into town next week for a reunion, but we can't afford the gas to go. Even though it's in our own city. And I finally had to break down and tell Brad that we have to go vegetarian, there's no other option, we simply can't afford to buy meat anymore. If it gets any worse we're pretty much screwed.

Amico Dio said...

We sponsor a child named Veronica through Compassion's ministry. We pray for her and her family on a daily basis and we write and send pictures. It is like she is a part of us. We can make a difference and it only takes one. One person to help one person and then we all make a difference. Thank you so much for this reminder of how blessed we are.

cajungal01 said...

I'm astounded, touched, and speechless.
Thank you.

Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said...

Thanks for the reminder...and the urging to pray!

A Christian Mom said...

I try to teach this to my own kids daily. Thank you for more reminders and I will be praying!

Mozi Esme said...

Thanks so much for publicizing this! Compassion does a great job, as do many other organizations, and they need all the help they can get!

Just read a blog post that I am going to link to tomorrow that really outlines the challenges we're facing here:

http://www.africankelli.com/2008/06/24/fertile-ground-2/

Kate said...

Wrote about this today too at my blog....truer words were never said. As my stomach tells me I am hungry, I think "am I hungry enough to chew on a stick?" then I am not truly hungry.

Precision Quality Laser said...

Thank you for the somber reminder that we do live in the land of plenty---despite how high gas prices go. Thank you for the reminder that I and my family are very blessed and that even if all we have left to eat before payday is beans and rice, that is more than some others have.

Blessings..

Mrs. Q

Wonder Woman said...

Like the first commenter, I've never felt so guilty. I'm eating my delicious angel-hair pasta while reading this post. I actually did stop and say a quick prayer as tears came to my eyes. And I'm reading this on the day we're supposed to fast. More guilt.

Thanks for this post and making me look outside myself for a moment.

D... said...

Right now, funds necessitate that we live simply, simply so we can live. Even tho we eat spaghetti & boxed mac n cheese several nights a week, we do have food in our bellies. Thank you for the reminder. We are blessed.

Darla said...

Prayer and awareness is key.

I support a family (a new family each year) through women for women.

Michele P. said...

I hear you...I also subscribe to the Grocery Game, use coupons, do refunding and whatever I can to cut costs. But things keep going up and up, and even though I try to build a decent stockpile I worry about the future. People are going hungry here in the US as well, I see it at work where people have to choose between food, medicine and home heating oil. It is going to be a bad winter, and I feel so bad for everyone. Nice to know I am not the only one worried about all of this!