Fortunate Fool

Fortunate Fool is such an accurate description of my thankfulness! I often think how crazy blessed I am. But yet I always find a reason to be upset, a reason to be stressed, a reason to not thank Jesus for all that I have. I grew up in such a sheltered little life. At times it's hard for me to believe that thousands and thousands of people die everyday from starvation moments after I eat when I'm not even hungry. Its hard to believe that while Im typing this I am among the 12% of the worlds population that owns a computer and the 8% that have access to the internet. Its hard to believe I have more in my FRIDGE then my family of 6 could EVER eat before it spoils, I have a hard time choosing what to wear in my CLOSET, I complaining about how my mattress in my BED makes my back feel, and I live in a HOUSE!!! All of those things make me more fortunate than 75% of the worlds population. It's such a hard concept for me to get my mind around the fact that the change in my car is what 21% of the worlds population lives off of per day ($1.25/day).

I don't have AIDS, dirty water, dirt floors, a sick family, a starving family, bugs where I sleep, animals where I sleep, and I don't boil leaves, & drink the broth to keep my stomach from hurting because of hunger, & the list goes on and on..

I wish saying that "humbling" would express how I feel, but unfortunately, that don't even begin to cover the emotion. I feel blessed beyond belief that I was able to wake up this morning, put my feet on the floor, and walk, talk, and breathe! Just the first five minutes of my day are so unlike so many less fortunate. When I question why God has given me such a blessed and fortunate life I begin to think of the saying, "God doesn't give you things that you can't handle." I think that that is so true!!!! When spending time with low income, special needs, & less fortunate individuals it is quickly evident that they more then likely have a better outlook on life then I. I came across this in my sociology book, "when visiting Chennai, India it is evident that despite desperate poverty, people thrive in love and family. Why, then, are so many people in our country angry? Are material things so central to our definition of a "rich" life?" Just some thoughts to ponder ;)