A serious thought

I just turned off the morning "news" in disgust. The headlining story was about Madonna adopting a child from Malawi. Come on. No wonder Americans don't know anything about world politics, our morning news consists of celebrity news and stories about the latest drink to hit the stands that is supposed to burn calories. We are too self obsessed.

But the Madonna story made me think about a number of things. The most important being - 50,000 children die each day in Africa from poverty and preventable diseases. In case you didn't catch that, or it didn't sink in, read it again. How is this acceptable in this day and age where the world is so connected? Does a mother in Africa feel less sorrow when her child dies than a mother in America or Europe? Does Jesus care less about the lives of the little ones in Africa than the lives of the little ones in America or Europe? Obviously those are rhetorical questions.

Jeremiah did not choose where he was born or who he was born to. God chose to give him to us. We have the means to provide him with healthcare, immunizations, healthy food choices, water that is not contaminated, a roof over his head. These are things that I take for granted every day. And then I see the pictures of the children who do not have food, who are dying of diseases, many of whom do not have a home due to war.

I had an idea today, every time one of us goes to the doctor we will donate the same amount as our co-payment to a reputible agency of our choice who will use it for poverty relief or medication in Africa. I know that I cannot change the situation in Africa all by myself, but I have decided that I can be more grateful for the ways I have been blessed and I can choose to give what I can to help others. I encourage you all to do the same. There are numerous ways to get involved. Check out Save Darfur and the One Campaign (which is on my dad's blog as well).

I am newly convicted to teach Jeremiah about the world around him, to have compassion for others, and to do whatever he can to help those who have less then he does.

A thought about Madonna's adoption: apperantly the boys mother died but the father did not have the money to support him. Would it not be better for Madonna to use her wealth to help the father be able to care for his own son?