I got a bit behind on my laundry, and one night recently, I plopped down to fold several baskets worth. In the vein of finding something G rated on prime time television, I turned on PBS. I figured it would be a pretty safe choice. This particular night, there was a documentary on the series "The American Experience" about the Dust Bowl.
I continue to wonder if I am a product of a broken public school system or if I was just clueless. I made decent grades in school, although there is no doubt in my mind that I didn't apply myself in any way, nor did I perform nearly 1/100th of my potential. I stay continually amazed at how little I know about anything and everything. I had a vague idea of what the Dust Bowl was. I mean, some dust flew around for a bit, right?
Oh my. I had NO idea what these people endured for near a decade in the 30's. I forgot totally about my laundry and just sat, transfixed, watching the horrors these people lived through. They inadvertently raped the land with wheat crops, leaving the earth, the dust and the dirt, exposed and unanchored. The dust storms that would ravage these people reminded me of the clouds of debris that the people of New York experienced when the Twin Towers collapsed. The sky would darken and everything would go black, blacker than night. If you lived through the storm, what you then endured was even worse.
There was dust in EVERYTHING. Their food, their water, *three* feet of dirt in their houses, their beds, in their clothes, noses and they constantly crunched dirt in their teeth even. People, especially children, died in their families' arms because of pneumonia. Their lungs were so broken by the constant dirt. Those who could move eventually did, but most couldn't afford too. They continued to plow the dust and dirt, praying and hoping, for years after years, for somehow some crops to grow. There wasn't even any rain. Just dirt, dust and more dirt. They were poor, hungry and dying.
A decade. Every day. Plowing dust.
Just hoping.
I was blown away. (Absolutely NO pun intended.) I sat there, trying to remember a day, just ONE day, that I had ever lived that was as horrible as the decade these people endured. I couldn't think of just one.
My friend, Matt, who is Godly and wise beyond his years, said one day that all we have are rich man's problems. I thought about that a lot. What problems do I have? Really? Most all of my problems are self made.
Too busy? Stop doing so much. Too tired? The same. Not enough money? Stop spending. Depressed? Bored? Restless? Uninspired? Unappreciated? Angry? Frustrated? Stressed out?
All man made. Even if your health is taken from you, you are going to get top notch care, and not left to die a slow painful death in a third world hospital.
We have no problems. And our only problem should be how do we get the Gospel to the world before it's too late. That should be our only problem.
I accidentally stumbled upon a small phenomenon on Twitter - A subject that rocked my tiny world. People post their "first world problems." The type out "#firstworldproblems," and then express whatever is getting them down at the moment:
"Bought a new oven pan and it won't fit in my oven."
"My Friday night is boring."
"Starbucks got my coffee order wrong."
"There really is an Eggo shortage."
I don't mean that these people's lives are truly ruined because there are no Eggo waffles, but you get the idea. Have we become so self absorbed that we really and truly believe that anyone cares that you're upset because you can't buy your preferred brand of waffles?
Are there real problems? Of course. We all have real difficulties in our lives, but poured through the strainer of the Word, I should, and I do mean SHOULD, have a grasp how to handle situations that come into my life in a way that gives glory to God and grows me spiritually too.
And truly, our only real problem is how to spread the Gospel as quickly and a far as possible. And I'm begging God to show me how this looks in my own life, in real life-not just on a silly blog.
I know that there are situations that rock us to the core. I know that people I love and adore are right now going through terribly trying times. I don't mean to diminish those struggles. But you don't have to go back very far in the history of this country to see that we have become a terribly spoiled people. Step outside of this countries' history and the facts become even more sobering. We haven't lived a hard day in our lives. Ever. And I've been poor. I've been firstworld poor. Never third world poor. I've never experienced ethnic cleansing. I've never experienced real, debilitating hunger. I've never slept in a card board box. I've never experienced religious persecution. I could go on and on...
I'm struggling to find how I am supposed to live in this age God as plunked me down in as a child of God that pleases Him. I don't want to get to Heaven and try to explain why I was too tired or stressed by all my man made first world, rich man problems and not caught up with winning the lost. I'm trying to figure out how to help those in my life who are struggling with real problems in a way that honors God. I've decided that this is all really very, very simple or extremely complicated. It's one or the other.
My theory is that it's really simple, and I've just made it all very complicated. It's about the blood of Christ covering my sins, and me reaching the lost. That's it.
So it wasn't a football game after all...
I continue to wonder if I am a product of a broken public school system or if I was just clueless. I made decent grades in school, although there is no doubt in my mind that I didn't apply myself in any way, nor did I perform nearly 1/100th of my potential. I stay continually amazed at how little I know about anything and everything. I had a vague idea of what the Dust Bowl was. I mean, some dust flew around for a bit, right?
Oh my. I had NO idea what these people endured for near a decade in the 30's. I forgot totally about my laundry and just sat, transfixed, watching the horrors these people lived through. They inadvertently raped the land with wheat crops, leaving the earth, the dust and the dirt, exposed and unanchored. The dust storms that would ravage these people reminded me of the clouds of debris that the people of New York experienced when the Twin Towers collapsed. The sky would darken and everything would go black, blacker than night. If you lived through the storm, what you then endured was even worse.
There was dust in EVERYTHING. Their food, their water, *three* feet of dirt in their houses, their beds, in their clothes, noses and they constantly crunched dirt in their teeth even. People, especially children, died in their families' arms because of pneumonia. Their lungs were so broken by the constant dirt. Those who could move eventually did, but most couldn't afford too. They continued to plow the dust and dirt, praying and hoping, for years after years, for somehow some crops to grow. There wasn't even any rain. Just dirt, dust and more dirt. They were poor, hungry and dying.
A decade. Every day. Plowing dust.
Just hoping.
I was blown away. (Absolutely NO pun intended.) I sat there, trying to remember a day, just ONE day, that I had ever lived that was as horrible as the decade these people endured. I couldn't think of just one.
My friend, Matt, who is Godly and wise beyond his years, said one day that all we have are rich man's problems. I thought about that a lot. What problems do I have? Really? Most all of my problems are self made.
Too busy? Stop doing so much. Too tired? The same. Not enough money? Stop spending. Depressed? Bored? Restless? Uninspired? Unappreciated? Angry? Frustrated? Stressed out?
All man made. Even if your health is taken from you, you are going to get top notch care, and not left to die a slow painful death in a third world hospital.
We have no problems. And our only problem should be how do we get the Gospel to the world before it's too late. That should be our only problem.
I accidentally stumbled upon a small phenomenon on Twitter - A subject that rocked my tiny world. People post their "first world problems." The type out "#firstworldproblems," and then express whatever is getting them down at the moment:
"Bought a new oven pan and it won't fit in my oven."
"My Friday night is boring."
"Starbucks got my coffee order wrong."
"There really is an Eggo shortage."
I don't mean that these people's lives are truly ruined because there are no Eggo waffles, but you get the idea. Have we become so self absorbed that we really and truly believe that anyone cares that you're upset because you can't buy your preferred brand of waffles?
Are there real problems? Of course. We all have real difficulties in our lives, but poured through the strainer of the Word, I should, and I do mean SHOULD, have a grasp how to handle situations that come into my life in a way that gives glory to God and grows me spiritually too.
And truly, our only real problem is how to spread the Gospel as quickly and a far as possible. And I'm begging God to show me how this looks in my own life, in real life-not just on a silly blog.
I know that there are situations that rock us to the core. I know that people I love and adore are right now going through terribly trying times. I don't mean to diminish those struggles. But you don't have to go back very far in the history of this country to see that we have become a terribly spoiled people. Step outside of this countries' history and the facts become even more sobering. We haven't lived a hard day in our lives. Ever. And I've been poor. I've been firstworld poor. Never third world poor. I've never experienced ethnic cleansing. I've never experienced real, debilitating hunger. I've never slept in a card board box. I've never experienced religious persecution. I could go on and on...
I'm struggling to find how I am supposed to live in this age God as plunked me down in as a child of God that pleases Him. I don't want to get to Heaven and try to explain why I was too tired or stressed by all my man made first world, rich man problems and not caught up with winning the lost. I'm trying to figure out how to help those in my life who are struggling with real problems in a way that honors God. I've decided that this is all really very, very simple or extremely complicated. It's one or the other.
My theory is that it's really simple, and I've just made it all very complicated. It's about the blood of Christ covering my sins, and me reaching the lost. That's it.
So it wasn't a football game after all...
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