This past weekend I had a moment to watch a documentary on Netflix that made me think twice. “Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates” – I know, I know most cynics will say what can one of the richest men in the world teach me that his money has not solved for him.
Well…compassion.
He taught me a lesson on compassion. As I sat and watched how children played in polluted water. How polio is ravaging communities and how our climate is suffering at the hands of our indifference. How the simple necessities of “our” world, like a running toilet is a project that would take years and millions of dollars.
It made me think…twice.
I thought of “our” need to have more. I thought of “our” incessant need to consume as much as we think we need for survival. I thought of our world of “meism” spawned from social media. My spirit was grieved. I thought about how our society is fighting each other for rights, civil liberties. I thought about the current climate of our politics and how it’s divided our country and has broken friendships. I thought about our need to fulfill every want and whim that comes our way. Yet there is a world that is craving the things we so often take for granted. Craving the clean running water. Craving the crumbs that fall off our plate. Craving the warm bath, we soak in. Craving the bed, we lay our bodies in.
As this year starts coming to a close, think about your craving, your wants. Slow down enough to be thankful that your basic necessities are met without you giving it a second thought. Honestly, you don’t have to think about another country. You can think of your neighbor. Challenge yourself to think twice and find an organization you can support, a family you can show up for.
Where can you effectuate change? Just look around…
Sometimes the things we are craving, are the things we least need!
Lesson:
“Don’t accumulate possessions; accumulate experiences. “- Mark Batterson
(“In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy day” – Mark Batterson)
