Wake up
Posted in 1 John 4:19, brigitte's posts, chocolate, isaiah 58, james 1:27, Matthew 25, oppression, orphans, slavery, valentines day 0 comments
Ok people...this post is more food for the thought than revelation.(a pun you will appreciate by the end of this post) It's been a really busy week. Honestly, I almost completely forgot to post at all. This week we celebrate the best Valentine's gift I'll ever receive..Turtle. Yes, my funny little Valentine is now 4 years old! There is one stellar Spider-Man party in the making and an agenda of other fun birthday week adventures. Life is crazy. I am presently typing this in the center of what has been declared a 'construction zone' by my two littles with a blaring TV, spontaneous crying from the ignored 20 month old, and what may or may not be a food fight starting in the kitchen ( I refuse to look). Can I girl get a little grace?
Like I said...this post will be short and sweet...er...ok, maybe just short. Love you all!
The original Valentine. Be still my heart.
Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Did everyone splurge appropriately on chocolate, jewelry, flowers, and dinner? I mean, how else would your significant other know you even love them unless you spend gobs of money? Nothing says loving like a little bling? Can I get an amen?
What you may or may not know about all those indulgences is that someone paid a high price for them. I’m not just talking $$.
This week Americans spend around $345 million on chocolate, 3.6 billion on dining out (reuters.com) and a pretty penny on diamonds and jewelry (a statistic I just couldn't seem to nail down in my very limited research). If these numbers don't phase you, then let me put it another way...
-800 million people around the world do not have access to drinkable water (researchamerica.org)
-there are currently about 150 million orphans in the world (worldorphans.org)
-more than three-fourths of all the world's cocoa comes from West Africa – but the entire continent of Africa only accounts for about 3 percent of its consumption.more here
These are staggering statistics folks. What does it all have to do with you? me?
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27
Remove the heavy yoke of oppression...Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. - Isaiah 58:9b-10
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:37-40
Sisters and Brothers...this has everything to do with you and me. Jesus didn't waste time with chit chat in the scriptures. God made sure that every word we needed to hear in order to navigate through life was recorded in the pages of the Bible. When my Jesus says to look after orphans and widows, relieve the oppressed, feed the hungry...He means it. Go. Now. Do these things. On every occasion and in every capacity.
Are you still wondering what this all has to do with Valentine's Day? For one, chances are the chocolate you purchased and consumed is from one of the many large chocolate manufacturers who buy their cocoa from slave farms along the Ivory Coast of Africa. BBC has done a remarkable job at investigating the trafficking associated with cocoa. Please take the time to view at least a few of these videos. If not because I'm asking, then because Jesus commanded.
I know. I know. I'm such a Debbie Downer. I just ruined all your Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas candy fun forever! Oh well.
Truly, my hope is that more Christians will become conscious consumers. We are plagued with consumerism as Americans. Christ calls his people to 'not be polluted by this world.'
As for me and my crew, we have broken up with non-fair trade chocolate, coffee, bananas, etc. We try to be as conscious of the cost others have to make for our indulgences.
...and if I've killed the sugar buzz you have from all those yummy chocolates...good!
Jesus, open our eyes to see the suffering and hurt all around us. Help us to look further than the American bubble. Jesus, break our hearts for the least. Remind us that we are responsible for our decisions and actions that cost others so much. Remind us, above all, that we are called to love.
Like I said...this post will be short and sweet...er...ok, maybe just short. Love you all!
We love because he first loved us - 1 John 4:19
The original Valentine. Be still my heart.
Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Did everyone splurge appropriately on chocolate, jewelry, flowers, and dinner? I mean, how else would your significant other know you even love them unless you spend gobs of money? Nothing says loving like a little bling? Can I get an amen?
What you may or may not know about all those indulgences is that someone paid a high price for them. I’m not just talking $$.
This week Americans spend around $345 million on chocolate, 3.6 billion on dining out (reuters.com) and a pretty penny on diamonds and jewelry (a statistic I just couldn't seem to nail down in my very limited research). If these numbers don't phase you, then let me put it another way...
-800 million people around the world do not have access to drinkable water (researchamerica.org)
-there are currently about 150 million orphans in the world (worldorphans.org)
-more than three-fourths of all the world's cocoa comes from West Africa – but the entire continent of Africa only accounts for about 3 percent of its consumption.more here
These are staggering statistics folks. What does it all have to do with you? me?
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27
Remove the heavy yoke of oppression...Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. - Isaiah 58:9b-10
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:37-40
Sisters and Brothers...this has everything to do with you and me. Jesus didn't waste time with chit chat in the scriptures. God made sure that every word we needed to hear in order to navigate through life was recorded in the pages of the Bible. When my Jesus says to look after orphans and widows, relieve the oppressed, feed the hungry...He means it. Go. Now. Do these things. On every occasion and in every capacity.
Are you still wondering what this all has to do with Valentine's Day? For one, chances are the chocolate you purchased and consumed is from one of the many large chocolate manufacturers who buy their cocoa from slave farms along the Ivory Coast of Africa. BBC has done a remarkable job at investigating the trafficking associated with cocoa. Please take the time to view at least a few of these videos. If not because I'm asking, then because Jesus commanded.
I know. I know. I'm such a Debbie Downer. I just ruined all your Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas candy fun forever! Oh well.
Truly, my hope is that more Christians will become conscious consumers. We are plagued with consumerism as Americans. Christ calls his people to 'not be polluted by this world.'
As for me and my crew, we have broken up with non-fair trade chocolate, coffee, bananas, etc. We try to be as conscious of the cost others have to make for our indulgences.
...and if I've killed the sugar buzz you have from all those yummy chocolates...good!
Jesus, open our eyes to see the suffering and hurt all around us. Help us to look further than the American bubble. Jesus, break our hearts for the least. Remind us that we are responsible for our decisions and actions that cost others so much. Remind us, above all, that we are called to love.
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