The downfall of us all.

My fingers are itching to blog. Not even about anything in particular. There's no passion burning inside of me to get preachy about something. There is, however, this quiet dread inside of me, increasing when I hear people talking about the massacre in Norway and no one talk about the food crisis in Africa. It grew a little bit last night when I heard there was a small shooting in Auckland where 3 people got shot. It is terrible what is happening in the world today. Bad news keeps flowing in and suddenly people are vulnerable to a violent death more than ever, even in our beautiful New Zealand. But who cares? They are dead and not us right? They are hungry but it's okay because we still have food and money to feed ourselves.

All scarcasm aside, I want to point the finger at society and judge them for not giving a crap about any social issues, more particularly, an increasing number of our brothers and sisters dying from starvation in Africa. I am tempted to give them a (virtual) middle finger and comment on a seemingly selfish Facebook status saying 'WHO CARES!' I feel like slapping and shaking them up from their slumber. Suddenly I am better than any of them...but if I am being honest with myself, I am just as bad as anyone. I can give you a long list of things that show how selfish and apathetic I am when it comes to making the world a better place.

Sure, we may not be able to feed the 11 million people in Africa and elsewhere who are dying from lack of food and water, sure we may not be able to throw out all the weapons of death and war and convince all those who are hurting not to take it out on other people, sure we can't convince all those who are losing hope because they are lonely or gay to not kill themselves, but we CAN do something, even if it is very tiny in comparison to the corruption in the world. Those small deeds are part of a bigger plan of restoration to the world God had orginally intended it to be - peaceful.

The other day during lunch, my mum and I were discussing the bible course I was doing and how she didn't really approve. In my defense, I said that it included missionary work. She said to me that I shouldn't be trying to 'save the world' when I can't even do the dishes at home. It sounded silly and it didn't make sense to me (and I'm sure it may not make sense to you too) and I, of course, rebutted - doing the dishes at home was completely different to giving a home to say, abused kids in Thailand - it has more meaning and purporse. Just because you don't do the chores at home does not mean you are a bad person or can't help those who are poor and broken, I said. But as I was thinking about what she said afterwards, I realised that she did have a good point. 'Saving the world' starts in your own home. It starts in your own community. For me, it does mean helping with the chores at home. It means treating my enemies with love, even if I do not respect them. It means telling my friends about God, even if they do not want to hear it. It means giving bread and companionship to those who are homeless in my city. It means befriending those who are lonely. It means stepping up for those who are bullied, abused and voiceless. No doubt, those little things you do God sees and shows Him that you can handle the bigger things He has in mind for you in the future, whatever that may be.

As much as I am saying this to myself, I am saying to you: Let's stop complaining about things that do not have significance in the greater scheme of restoring this broken world. Though we may think there may be no point because the world is going to end in disaster anyway, the point is being a light in a place of darkness, is being people of active faith and good deeds, is being people who sees love as being a verb. In a world that is getting more selfish and violent, let's be lights and show people the path to hope and restoration.

This turned out longer than I expected. Haha. Well, I hope this encouraged you in some way anyway.