I am reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In it, Chan includes this quote from Annie Dillard: “How we Live our days is … how we live our lives.” Since I read that quote, it has come to my mind almost every day. Each time, I have asked myself, “Does this moment reflect how I want to live my life?” Surprisingly, I am often at peace with the answer.
The thrust of Chan’s book, however, defines a much greater demand. He describes what God actually expects of us, and how we might meet those expectations. In regard to that challenge, I fall far short of the mark. I am not living in poverty, I am not serving the poor and foremost, I do not adequately hold forth the lifesaving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since reading Chan’s book, I have struggled with my performance as a Christian believer. This book is truly compelling. It has moved me, and I am certain that most readers will moved in a positive direction. Crazy Love is recommended, but only if you are ready to feel a little less good about how you “live your days.”
Girls in Kenya study by solar powered light …a Compassion International photo
Most people I know are totally wrapped up in themselves. They have big plans for retirement, and they have an abundance of “stuff.” What they spend on two after dinner drinks is more than a month’s income for many people in the world today. These people have a bucket list, while others have anxiety over where they’re going to find the next meal for their family. We are so blessed, and at the same time, we are so blind.
This post is more than a suggestion, it is a request. In fact, I suppose that am begging you to commit just a few dollars each month to helping others. If you don’t have any idea where to start, let me introduce you to Compassion International. If you are not presently “giving or doing,” this is an excellent starting place. Now let me point you to Africa. There are thousands of families in Africa who have neither running water nor electricity. There are kids there, who can’t envision anything more than a grade school education and a life-long scramble for food and survival. Should you succumb to this solicitation, let me give you some further tips. Sign up for a birthday gift and, in addition to the entry level thirty seven dollars each month, give a small family gift. Just twenty-five dollars from you, nets an African family twenty-two fifty, more than a month’s wages in many countries.
Susan and I are delighted with the feedback that we get from one of our African families. They use the extra money to buy goats, and when they get seven goats, they sell them off and buy a small plot of land. They were delighted recently, when one of their goats had a kid, giving them a leg up on amassing the next herd of seven. They bought a solar panel, so that our sponsored child could read and study at night, and when we upped our family gift to fifty dollars, they were able to pay “school fees,” so that our sponsored child can attend secondary school. Why is that important? Because he wants to be a pilot, and with that lofty goal, completing high school is essential.
So, what is the total monthly cost? With a twenty-five-dollar family gift, it is just sixty-two dollars each month. With a fifty-dollar family gift, it will cost eighty-seven dollars each month. For some of you, that is a big deal and I know that. For others, simply maintaining your “lifestyle” for one month will consume eighty-seven dollars many times over. I know too, that many of you are savvy investors. Well, please accept this tip from me: you will never make a better investment than this one.
So, please consider it. I thank you for your time and I thank you in advance for your generosity …
