I was going to just write a quick post about my outfit today, but I changed my mind after checking my Facebook.  One of the first posts I read, as I sat down at my computer after an afternoon of chasing children, was this photo:

The photo itself wasn't what stopped me, because on the surface this looks like a happy picture.  What shattered and broke my heart was the caption: ' “I wish I could have done more for her. Her life has been nothing but struggle. She hasn’t known many happy moments. She never had a chance to taste childhood. When we were getting on the plastic boat, I heard her say something that broke my heart. She saw her mother being crushed by the crowd, and she screamed: ‘Please don’t kill my mother! Kill me instead!’“ (Lesvos, Greece) '  (Original post HERE)

This photo is one of a series of photos from the blog Humans of New York.  As you may have guessed, the photos are usually based on inhabitants of the city that never sleeps, but the photographer is in the process of traveling abroad and highlighting the stories of a small portion of humans mired in the multi-million person Syrian refugee crisis. (Also, the surrounding countries involved in conflict and those hosting refugees as well.)

I've been struggling with whether or not I was going to write about this wave of refugees escaping the war-torn confines of their home country.  There have been so many posts, opinions, words-words-and-more-words written about them already, and I'm not one to get involved in any issue that might result in confrontation with anyone around me (hence the reason you'll never see a 'political' post on my Facebook or blog).  There's already been so much good, truth-full, inspired writing as well.    There's just been so much that I didn't want to add another voice to all those already speaking.

But maybe we do need another post, because this issue has been on my heart for weeks now, beating along with my heart, with constant Holy-Spirit-urgings to tackle this topic.  Topic isn't even the right word, because Topic is too cold, detached, and clinical to describe this huge, hurting mass of displaced humans.  But of course, my stubborn heart and head had to fight back.

I don't like confrontation.

I don't like offending people.

I don't like people not liking me for my words.

I want to be liked, and this is not a 'likeable' topic.  Nothing about this is comfortable.  People, millions of people, are losing homes, losing family members, losing parents and children and siblings and aunts and uncles.  They're left with nothing.  The refugee camps don't have adequate supplies.  The transportation to other countries is scary, expensive, and dangerous, with no guarantee that they'll make it it their destination alive.  Even if they make it, it's a toss-up whether they will be welcomed or imprisoned.  I wish I could find a grey area, a politician's answer that everyone accepts, so I don't step on any toes.  I wish I could find some mutual understanding for the viewpoint of those clamoring, "Keep them out, we don't want criminals overrunning our country!"


As if crime is only found in one country and people group.

As if our lives are safer and more insulated if they don't come in.

As if they could just turn around and go back home.


To those screaming, "keep them out!" I apologize, because I think you are wrong.  I can't agree when the first words I read from my Bible this morning are these:

"Enlarge your house; build an addition.
spread out your home, and spare no expense!
For you will soon be bursting at the seams.

Be fair and just to all.  Do what is right and good.
For I [the Lord] am coming soon to rescue you
and to display my righteousness among you" (Is. 54:2-3a; 56:1)


The part that hurts and confuses me the most is that I'm hearing this from people who believe in the same God as I.  They cover their words in the wrapper of 'do what's right for our Country' or 'we can't have a Muslim takeover, just wait for the persecution.'  Bear in mind, Christ promised us persecution. To say, "we don't want you to live with us, and would rather you stay in suffering and homelessness because your religion is different than ours," is, from my understanding of the Bible, the farthest you can be from following Christ.  How can we show God's love to people if we keep them out?

I could, of course, just not talk about this at all.  I could get back to my Pinterest, Facebook, 'what should I wear?' and "I better check the weather and see if the kid needs a sweater for school" day-to-day routine, and forget about those who are fighting to survive.

It might even work,until another photo shows up in my news feed, or a friend shares an article, or another toddler's body washes up on the beach.  I could try to ignore the stories, until I feel a twinge of pain as I imagine being a father who put his children in a boat against all hope, only to see his child's photo on a screen or in the newspaper, and for me to imagine how hollow he must find it to know that his baby is the image that forced the world to wake up to the horrors going on.  Until I'm reminded of the first time I understood that there's evil in the world, at ten years old, as I internalized the image of a firefighter holding a damaged child after the bombing in Oklahoma City, and realize that evil is rampant, but God is bigger.  And until I really believe that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. (source)"

I don't want to be liked if it means choosing inaction.

I don't think my heart can handle the photograph of another child losing their innocence or life because we were too scared or apathetic to act.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

If you'd like more resources to help, both here and abroad, start here:

https://worldhelp.net/forging-the-future-of-iraq/

http://wewelcomerefugees.com/

http://www.worldvision.org/news-stories-videos/syria-war-refugee-crisis

http://www.rescue.org/

WorldHelp February - Home

Have you guys seen "The Blind Side?"  It's an amazing movie, based on an even more amazing family.  It's one where if I'm going to watch it, no matter how many times, I know I'll need the box of kleenex right next to me because I'm inevitably going to need it!  There's one scene in particular that I can't watch without bawling like a baby, not because I'm worried about the outcome of the movie, but because it's about a situation that's just too real in lives all over the world.  The scene is where Michael, a boy in high school that's homeless, is moving into the Tuohy's home, and he pauses in the doorway of the room where he's going to sleep.  Leigh Anne Tuohy, the wife and mother of the family (and also one of the coolest people around.  Really.), asks him what's wrong.  He replies, "I've never had one before."  "What, a room to yourself?"  "No," he answers (and at this point I'm bawling), "a bed."

There's a reason this movie won an Oscar and received such critical acclaim.  It shows a type of love and caring for other people that is missing in so many parts of our world.  The scene I quoted highlights another, very saddening fact: there are children that don't have a home or a bed to sleep in.  There are babies that are abandoned at birth.  There are other children around the world that may have loving parents that were just too destitute to care for another hungry mouth.  As a mother, the idea that I would ever have to choose between giving up my children or watching them starve is one that I can't fathom.  It makes my stomach turn and my hands shake.  There are parts of the world where even if a child is able to stay with it's parent, it's physical and mental health might be irreparably stunted due to poor nutrition and medical care.  (There's an infographic on Upworthy about this that breaks down the different areas that stunting affects.)

Today is World Day of Social Justice according to the UN, and I can tell you, children without food, shelter, or medical care is not justice.  The fact that "approximately 11 million children live in the dirty, dangerous streets of the Ugandan slums near Kampala, Uganda, [...] that are desperate for help and have little hope for survival" (quote courtesy of WorldHelp) is not justice.

There are people bringing hope to children like these.  I've had the privilege for a while of blogging for WorldHelp, and bringing you guys, my readers, a chance to help as well!  WorldHelp is currently working on fundraising for an incredible project: a Baby Rescue Center, with group homes that can house and care for 10 children each.  Right now, there are three Rescue Homes that are funded that will provide food, shelter, and medical care for 30 abandoned babies and children.  WorldHelp wants to go farther.  They're currently in the process of funding the construction of a fourth Rescue Home, a space that can house 10 more children.  That's 10 more lives changed, 10 more babies that will be rescued, 10 more humans that will be shown love that they might never have experienced otherwise.

Plus, there are items available for sale that help support this project!  You know how much I love shopping that does good, and there's a necklace, tee shirt, and baby onesie that you can purchase to help fund this project, down at the bottom of the campaign page.  Or, if you just don't need another thing in your home, there's always the option to support this project through a financial gift.  Just click the image below, and you'll be taken to the campaign page with all the information you'll need!

Please, please consider changing these kids' lives.  I know sometimes it seems like there's a new program or campaign asking for your money every other day, but if these houses don't get funds, these kids won't be helped.  They'll live life on the street, probably sick and malnourished.  And I don't want you to think I'm trying to do the whole "you should feel guilty and horrible because you don't want to give your money away" trick.  I just want you to have a chance to be a part of changing lives.  Be a part of justice and give needy kids a home.

Jumping on the Bandwagon

This is a post about body image.  Actually, I take that back.  This is going to start as a post about body image, and probably morph into some form of literary creature I haven't yet coined a name for.  Basically, I gained ten pounds over the holidays.  Now, that's not really a surprise; I mean, the whole reason the term 'holiday weight' exists is because people generally gain extra poundage around this time of year.  There's just so much amazing, delicious, sweet and savory food available, and of course I was going to eat it, I love food (and hate to exercise, but that's a whole other conversation)!

Fast forward from the holidays to a few weeks ago, when the family and I were strolling around the mall together, digesting another huge meal we had just enjoyed.  I had spied a tantalizing window display in one of the stores with the multicolored "take 60-no-70-no-80 Percent Off!" signs, and one rack looked like it was packed full of loose, drapey, comfy, silky tops.  I mentioned as we walked past that I'd like to stop in there before we headed home to take a look at those tops, and the hubs happened to ask the usual question that accompanies my shopping trips: "Why would you buy another shirt you don't need? You have a closet full of shirts, and only wear like 1% of them?"  "Because none of those shirts FIT," I practically roared at my unsuspecting husband who had the nerve to ask me a question I didn't want to verbalize the answer for.  Poor man, how was he supposed to know that I had gotten on the scale that morning and figured out why it was harder for me to zip my jeans up.  How was he supposed to know that when I groaned, "I don't feel like going to work" on various days, that was woman code for, "I feel too fat to go socialize with anyone today."  How was he supposed to know that even though I seem to have jumped on the "body image" bandwagon lately, with all my rants and raves against unattainable media beauty standards, and the crazy amounts of Photoshop used in advertising and magazines, and the double standards for men and women regarding their appearances, and all the videos I've shared on Facebook about helping women to love themselves and embrace their differences andeveryonescreatedequalandbeautifulandblahblahblah, that I'd allow some extra weight gain to put me in a funk?

I'd love to say that I had my wake-up call that day.  That I recognized the insidious fact that I was still letting my weight and appearance dictate my moods and outlook.  I'd love to say that I decided that day to move forward in joy, and embrace the fact that I live in a country where it's a regular occurrence for people to have so much extra food that they inflate just a little bit every year.  I'd love to say that I didn't allow the thorns of self-deprecation to choke out my gratefulness for God's love and mercy that He's shown me time after time.  But, unfortunately, I'm a slow learner, and I'm just now coming out of that funk.  Just last night, I had the thought pop into my brain before bed that the 'path back to joy meant identifying myself with Christ,' and thankfully, I spent quite a bit of time questioning that comment that is just dripping with 'church-speak.' (definition: Church-speak: phrases that are used, often in a church setting, over and over until the real depth of meaning that accompanies the words is swallowed up by familiarity)  I say thankfully, because I didn't want to just take comfort in that little phrase, say "okay, I'm identified with Christ" as some magic pill to help me feel better, and roll over to go to sleep and continue with my life.  I want to wrestle with that phrase.  I, this tiny human among billions of other tiny humans on this planet, am supposed to identify myself with a God-person that I could study my entire life and never understand.  I, this person with person-'problems' and person-concerns that are usually petty and misguided, am supposed to adopt the traits of a man that never sinned.  I, this momma that loses her temper with her children much more easily when she's cranky and preoccupied with herself, am supposed to live like the "Prince of Peace," a man that willingly went to his death in order to follow His Father's Will.  That's not some magic pill.  That's an immense responsibility that can only begin to be surmounted by (a lot of) help from the Holy Spirit and a humble heart in myself.

So, when you wonder where I've been over the past few weeks, or if I've been too preoccupied to blog, the short answer is, "yes."  I've been avoiding posting photos because I didn't like any of them.  I've been avoiding writing about important things like Fair Trade companies and my monthly WorldHelp piece because I've been too preoccupied with myself.  But, that's going to change.  I'll be back to a regular posting schedule very soon, not because all of my 'issues' have been resolved, but because I love sharing companies and organizations with you that are doing God's work around the globe.  I want Christ to shine out of me so brightly that my little human body isn't even given an iota of my concern.  I want to identify myself with Christ, and nothing less.

WorldHelp October - Hungry

I really love food.  I kind of feel like that's seen as a heinous statement for a woman in America to make, since, you know, food (or at least the unhealthy kind that's usually my favorite) equals weight gain and all that jazz, but if I'm going to be honest, I really, REALLY love to eat!  I have hypothetical world-wide vacations planned based on where and what I want to eat, and my meal planning for the week is a half-day affair.  Of course, I also live in a country where the luxury of picking and choosing what goes into your belly is possible, and even encouraged.  One of the news 'headlines' on my homepage today was, "Would You Eat These Deliciously Exotic Foods?" (right alongside "Celebrity Inspired Halloween Looks" and "What Really Happened at Roswell?")  Don't get me wrong, I think God gave us our senses for a reason, including the sense of taste, and it's great to be able to use the resources in our grasp in order to enjoy the act of eating.  I'm also fairly certain that in heaven, broccoli will actually taste like chocolate chip ice cream and calories will no longer count.

However, we're not in heaven yet.  What if you lived in a place where food wasn't accessible at all?  What if you had a family to feed and care for, and no resources available to do so?  One of the headlines I didn't see featured on my homepage today was anything related to the humanitarian crisis in Syria.  So many other news stories have pushed Syria off the forefront of people's minds, while over 4 million displaced refugees inside the country, and 2 million more in neighboring countries, are struggling through the start of a harsh winter, while lacking something as basic as a blanket to keep warm.  These people have witnessed atrocities, seen family and friends killed before their eyes, and have been driven from their homes into refugee camps with rapidly deteriorating conditions.  They lack food, water, shelter, and medical care, and are waiting for someone to help.  Some even more staggering statistics:

• More than 50 percent of Zaatari’s (one of the larger refugee camps) population is under the age of 18
• More than 1 million gallons of water and 500,000 pieces of bread are distributed daily in Zaatari (that might sound like a lot, but distributed among 150,000+ people packed into 3 square miles, it doesn't go far.)
• Women and children account for 75 percent of the entire refugee population

It's easy to let your eyes glaze over while reading facts such as these, to be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, and to feel guilty for the blessings you might have in your life right now, but please, push through that and consider doing something to help!  I'm privileged to have the chance to blog for the organization WorldHelp, and they have designated October as World Hunger Action Month.  I'm glad to be able to use this blog as a platform to spread awareness about situations like those in Syria, and being able to share stories with you like those of Fadi, Sheika, Roa & Mohammed, and Amnah, Salwa, & Sabreen.  Knowing their personal stories is incredibly impacting and touching.  But awareness is only a starting point!  Being aware of worldwide situations such as these is good, but action is so much better!

I'm going to ask something of you.  I normally wouldn't do this, and I hate being pushy, but I'm going to ask that you set aside some time Wednesday, the 16th, to pray and consider giving financially to help alleviate some of this suffering for a child, or even a family.  October 16th is World Food Day, so be creative!  Maybe forgo eating lunch out and eat something from home instead, and give the dollars you saved towards WorldHelp's Blogger fundraising page.  The other members of the blogging community and myself would like to provide aid for 12 refugee children with food and medicine.  Or, you could set up your own fundraising campaign, or give on that page as well, in order to give aid to 145 more children.  In any case, I just hope that the people displaced by this country's turmoil will remain on your hearts and minds.  I'll leave you with one of my favorite verses:

12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
    he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
    and he will rescue them.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
    for their lives are precious to him. (Psalm 72:12-14)

Comfortably Numb

Disclaimer: this post is not about Pink Floyd, as awesome as that might have been.  But it should still be a good one!  For proof, just keep reading:

I have a new book on my reading list, as well as a small announcement.  I'm glad to say that I'm a part of a bigger blogging network for the organization World Help, a humanitarian organization that provides necessities for people around the world that are affected by poverty.  Affected isn't even the right word, they're stricken, unable to provide for their basic needs such as food, water, shelter, healthcare, and education, simply because of the part of the world they happened to be born into.  The fact is, even members of the poorest 5% of our population is still richer than 75% of the rest of the world.  The book I'm reading touches on that subject, and speaks to the relative unawareness and lack of action in our culture towards tremendous needs, in a world broken by sin.  The title of the book is "Awake: Doing a World of Good, One Person at at Time," by Noel Yeats.  I actually haven't had a chance to read the whole thing just yet (my copy just arrived in the mail today!), but I did read the first two chapters, available for download on Noel's site.  The book is being re-launched this week, so the World Help bloggers were asked to give a review.

I haven't even finished it, but I would definitely recommend this book!  I found it kinda funny, Noel brings up on a few occasions in her first chapter that certain situations might make you tear up a little, such as watching movies like "The Blind Side."  Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm a crier.  Like a "messy cry, doesn't take much, cry if the wind blows wrong, I should buy stock in Kleenex", crier.  The holiday season, especially all the Hallmark commercials, is brutal on my tear ducts!  It was even worse when I was pregnant (darn hormones)!  All that being said, I may have cried quite a bit while reading.  I had a few moments where I had to stop reading in order to clean the 'splashback' of my tears onto the lenses of my glasses so that I could see.  And that's just in the first two chapters!  Noel speaks of her experiences with children in countries around the world, like Nildo, Margarita, and Jamira, and the impact she and others with her were able to have in their lives.

"[they are] a living reminder of the words that well-meaning Brazilian pastor spoke so many years ago. I now know that I can’t save them all . . . but I can make a difference for one. Mother Teresa once said, “If I look at the mass I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.” "

She talks about our tendency in our culture to inoculate ourselves against painful circumstances, to make ourselves 'comfortably numb.'  When I turn on my computer and see the incredibly huge refugee crisis in Syria, or other tragic news stories, it is so much easier to just scroll through pages and pages on Pinterest for an hour to distract myself.  When my mom was battling cancer, it was the same thing.  I retreated into my 'fashion bubble' and looked at pages and pages of clothes and fashion blogs and accessories and stuff because it was so much easier to think about "what am I going to wear tomorrow" than "will my mom still be here tomorrow?"  The problem with that is, my refusal to acknowledge my mom's cancer didn't make it go away.  The infected cells didn't go, "oh, Grace is refusing to admit that we're here, so we might as well evaporate and just go on our merry little way." The fight that my mother had to face still went on, and the pain and sickness that went along with it.  (My mom is fine by the way.  She underwent a treatment plan, and actually had an appointment with her oncologist today that has declared her cancer-free!)  And our world is infected in the same manner, with brokenness and sin that can only be cured by Christ.  As a follower of Him, I am called to be a vessel of His mercy, and to be fully aware and awake to the needs, both physical and spiritual, of those around me.  "22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 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 1:22-27)"

What this means for me, and what I'm sure will be echoed in Noel's words is this: I cannot claim to follow God, and ignore the needs of those around me.  God has always advocated the needs of those who are oppressed, hurting, and poor, and with the resources available, those people are relatively easy to find.  We live in such a digitally connected world, where if a disaster happens in a country that may be geographically distant from where I live, I'll probably still hear about it in the news, possibly minutes after the disaster has happened.  The interconnected-ness of our world holds us to an even greater responsibility than ever before, and there are only two responses (one wrong and one right) for Christ's followers: apathy (numbness), or action (awakening).  Which one would you choose?

"Awake: Doing a World of Good, One Person at at Time," by Noel Yeats is available for sale on her website, for only $10 with free shipping!  Also, for a limited time, the e-book is available for only $2.99, and you also have the opportunity to preview the first two chapters for free.