“About suffering they were never wrong … how it takes place while someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along.”

A teacher/coach/philosopher by the name of Mr. Hensley, whom I hold in very high honor, introduced me to a work of literature titled "Musee des Beaux Arts." This short writing (found here if you’d like to read the whole thing) was a great reminder and huge eye opener for me. Above is a quote I specifically pulled out of the text that seemed very heart-breaking, to say the least, to me. Some people probably interpret it as “life goes on.” But after I read it several times, it opened my eyes to it’s true message — a world full of suffering. What is true suffering? For billions, it is a bitter reality they battle against daily.

I’m sitting here on my bed and no matter how many children and people die overnight in third world countries and all over the world whether from horrific diseases, unsanitary water, or malnutrition, I will still wake up tomorrow morning and my life and schedule will be completely unaffected. That’s humbling. Eye opening. (1.6 million people each year die from AIDS alone, 842 million people worldwide struggle with hunger, 2.6 million children die each year from malnutrition, 1.2 billion people live on $1.25 or less a day. More than 3.4 million people die each year from water related illness because of a lack of access to clean water.) Suffering all over the world is a very real tragedy! How often do we contemplate the harsh truths plaguing so many men, women, and children?

My heart hurts for those people. It’s so easy to simply “feel bad” for those people but it’s a completely different story to actually try and reach out to them. As some of you know, I have always had a huge heart for kids and orphans in particular. Could you imagine growing up without parents? Even if you can’t, try to imagine not only growing up without parents, but growing up in a poverty-stricken nation without parents. How can so many us live over here and wake up every day without ever being affected or merely knowing about the situations infesting the world around us? I struggle everyday with these questions. It’s tough for me to know about suffering all over the world, but not being able to do anything to change it. So what can we do?

Prayer has and will always be a huge part of the Christian’s life. We must continually pray for these people. Not only to pray for their needs, but to pray that God will send forth people to minister and help these people and create relationships among them and love on them.

We live in a world where we have become so calloused to the truth and reality therein that we make the world cater to ourselves rather than others. It’s tragic. Myself included, it is is so easy to become so self-minded that we become not only ignorant to the truth but unaware of the truth. When we have this mindset, we try to reach tangible things, namely money, rather than reaching intangible things such as the hearts and love of others. I’ve heard story after story of people who chase their whole lives to reach the top of the ladder of success, only to realize they’ve been chasing a lie. So many people spend their whole lives trying to achieve wealth, but to what end? It seems as we go out and reach for goals that society has defined as success that we soon find the vanity in that pursuit. Sure the American dream is alluring, but not everyone can pursue it. Sure financial safety is alluring, but not everyone should expect it. Sure helping people makes you feel good, but it comes at a great cost. You know something I’ve come to realize? For the most part, people who help other people are poor. But how can you uplift people if you aren’t among them? How can you connect and relate to them unless you’re on their level? But, how much more rewarding is it to know that you changed someone’s whole life? It’s bigger than us. Similar to the ideology found in the book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, we are blessed beyond fathomable needs simply because we are American. Why not use that blessing for the good of others?
I can tell you for a fact that when you reach the end of your life, you will be much more content knowing that you served others rather than built up wealth.

I understand it’s scary. I get scared all the time about thinking of growing up. I feel as if God has called me to be a part of something bigger, to minister to kids and orphans, but I get nervous at the thought of it. I love family and I want to have a family of my own one day. It’s nerve wracking to think that whatever vocation I may have in the future one day will not completely provide for my family financially. It’s nerve wracking thinking of finding a spouse in the future. What if I can’t find a single person that wants to spend their life with me because they don’t want to give up their comforts and don’t want to give everything with me?

It’s big things like that that almost make you want to shy away from helping others. You just have to put full and final trust in God to provide for you and know that he is sovereign and will accomplish His will no matter the cost. If helping others in need suddenly became comfortable or easy, there would be an outpouring influx of new volunteers to help! But the thing is … It isn’t. However, it is required of us! We need to feel obligated to help and reach out to others!

Now obviously, there are different roles that can be lived out to serve others. Not everyone can get up and move to Africa or wherever and live among the people. We need people here to raise up leaders and servants to send forth. We need people here to serve and minister to the people of our own country! We need people that are willing to play whatever role they see fit. I refuse to confront the morose reality of the suffering in the world without thinking that I can somehow play a part in helping to relieve it.

We’re merely vessels on this earth to serve a greater purpose. Wherever the wind takes us, we must learn how we can best serve and contribute to needs of others in that time and place. If more people can realize how big of a difference they can make, the world will become a much better place. But until that day, if it ever comes, let us live our part out and zealously strive to make a difference. In your city, your state, your nation, and ultimately, to the ends of the earth!