My World View

Over the past year, I have found myself more concerned with humanitarian issues than I ever have been before. That being said, I feel like I should make clear that my previous concern with those issues has been next to nothing. So, to say I am more concerned isn't saying much. It's not that I don't care about people who are hurting, it's just that as I look back on my life I realize that I've done very little to actually do anything for people who are in horrible situations.

As I said, though, over the past year I've been thinking about this stuff more and more. I've been reading about it more. I've been noticing reports on TV more. I've been hearing people talk about it more. I don't know if this is because this stuff is actually being discussed more, or if it's because my eyes and ears are more open. But, whatever the case, I have felt the need to act.

I read an interesting story on nfl.com last week. When I was very young I was always amazed that the machines that make t-shirts and hats were so fast that within seconds of victory the winning team was wearing appearal that declared them as champions. As I got older, and smarter, I realized that obviously shirts and hats were pre-made for both teams. Duh! But, while some of the clothes were being passed out after the game, the other clothes were left in the boxes.

This brought me to a question, though. What happened to the unused shirts, hats, etc.? I always assumed the shirts that had been printed (that were now wrong) must be thrown away in some secret dumpster, never to see the light of day.

When I read that the NFL had donated the Patriots shirts to World Vision, I was actually surprised. I have been impressed with World Vision's humanitarian work. Last summer I participated in the "Step Into Africa - AIDS Experience." It was super powerful. If this exhibit comes to a city near you, I highly recommend you walk through. I couldn't walk away from that exhibit without sponsoring a child who lives in a community deeply affected by AIDS in Ethiopia. I am glad to hear that the NFL didn't let a few hundred t-shirts go to waste. It would have been easy for them to throw them away - no big deal. But, then again, most of us can't imagine a life where receiving a single t-shirt improves our situation.

My point is this: Too often I walk through life - doing and not doing certain things - without even giving a second thought to how my actions (or lack of action) are actually contributing to a humanitarian crisis in some other part of the world. I hope that all of us who have been given so much will begin to be willing to purposefully live in a way that eliminates crisis.