It's very easy for me to get wrapped up in my own problems. They really are huge and overwhelming--especially when I am trying to "help" anybody beyond myself. Their problems... my problems... It's a whole lot of mess in this broken world.
And I don't like mess.
But, it's funny how God takes me on these lessons... adventures really... and how it starts slowly...
Have you ever notice that when we listen to the news it's usually about stars, sex scandals, and whatever... but nothing too much about the rest of the world? I don't even watch TV (we don't even have it) and I can get that much out of our media. It's stupid and inconsequential.
But when we hear about serious problems around the world: Human trafficking, genocide, earthquakes, hurricanes, starvation, plight, and AIDs... it's almost like we shrug our shoulders and think, "Yeah... what else is new?"
We've heard it all. Seen it all. And thanks to the vividness of Hollywood--we've seen what starvation, devastation, and destruction look like. We have become shockless. Nothing surprises us.
Okay, Betsy... where is this going?
Well, over the course of my Christian life--I have seen God pointing these out. My heart hurts. Tears. I think and dwell on these things. I have struggled over so many things: orphans of Romania, genocide in Rwanda, apartheid of South Africa, AIDs epidemic in Africa, earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, hurricane in Louisiana. So much hurt... Where is God in all of this?
Right in the midst of it. I am not going to go on theological tangents, but that is what He's showing me.
I am reading Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan holocaust. She describes how her faith in God helped her through.
I have such little faith, in such a big God. She tells about a God who is loving... Just... and she was the hunted. She was the one who lost everyone.
God makes sure I finally read this book, right when I thought everything was overwhelming. When the mess of my life and others' was just too much. And then He shows me the big pictures.
It's not about me.
It's never been about me.
And when I finally remove myself and focus on the Big Picture--Him, I realize that if he's caring on hurting people, helping those in trouble, using us to love on others... then my problems seem quite small.
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