An Unedited Letter

 

 

Heavenly Father,

I know I’m a human with a limited and finite mind. I know you have reasons for everything that happens. I know I will never understand the complete picture until heaven.

And yet…

I wonder.

I don’t understand why I am able to give my kids not only what they need but also some of what they want, while a mom in Honduras struggles to find the barest of necessities for her children.

I don’t understand why I can go through the checkout line at a grocery store with a cart full of (basically) junk food, while a dad in Africa scrounges for even the smallest bit of nutrition to give to his children.

Father, I truly have no concept of what I, or my children, really need vs. what we simply want.

I have watched others in desperate circumstances be grateful for the little they have, praising You for providing for them. I get annoyed when Walmart is out of half and half for my coffee. And I wonder how You must feel about that.

I don’t understand why I’m blessed with so much “stuff” and still find myself complaining. 

I don’t understand why I get to live in a country of (relative) peace and safety, while so many around the world fear for their and their children’s lives.

There is much I don’t understand…much that seems unfair…much that I know my “wealth” gets in the way of.

So I ask, Father, that you give me eyes to see, a heart that hurts, arms that reach, hands that let go and give. Let me not take for granted, but remember that though I may not understand, you have placed me where I am, with what I have, for a reason. Let me use it for you, in whatever way I can.

Amen.

 

(This post was written as part of Compassion International’s blogging month in which I am a participant. The goal:  3,108 children sponsored during September. The progress:  837 children sponsored; 2,271 to go! Would you consider learning more or even becoming a sponsor? Please visit the Sponsor a Child page on the Compassion website.)