"What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being. To feed the hungry. To help the afflicted. To lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful. To remove the wrongs of the injured. "

Did you know that 21,000 children die every day?  Every day.  STOP.  Whatever you are doing, there is nothing MORE IMPORTANT than this.

And yet we are stressing out about what to get someone (who already has EVERYTHING and more) a Christmas gift, stressing about finding the ideal job or sending our children to the BEST schools. 

What is wrong with this picture?

Why do we care far more about ourselves than our neighbors?

What is wrong with the headlines?  Why don’t we see and hear these facts?

The majority of these deaths are preventable, they are a result of malnutrition or malaria or measles. 

The DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) is a mineral rich country and yet one of the poorest countries in the world. 

And just like ‘we’ trained and armed Bin Laden, we trained and armed former Congo President Mobuto just because he opposed Communist Russia.  He ruled Congo for over 30 years and is largely responsible for the state his country is in today.  How can we back, both financially and physically, these evil abusers of men, women, and children?  How can we bring them into power, aid them in killing their opponents, and turn our backs while they slaughter thousands? 

Over 5 million people have died since 1998.

I find it ironic that we don’t see that in the news. 

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are addicted to one of their minerals – the infamous coltan, which is used in:

Laptop computers

Cellular phones

Jet engines

Rockets

Camera lenses

X-ray film

Ink jet printers

And many other important devices such as hearing aids, pacemakers, airbags, video game consoles, video cameras, and prosthetic devices.  NO, we aren’t causing this situation by using these products, but we sure aren’t helping either.  We use them regardless of the consequence to others.  The issue is complex, but it’s real.  And without the demand, there would be less mass murder in the DCR.  This resource is available from multiple other places, just not as economical of course. 

I am not being a hypocrite, I cringe when I consider how my choices could be affecting an innocent child.  But what can we do differently? We have to figure out something.  We cannot allow this to continue - 45,000 people dying every month in Congo.  Don’t kid yourself, this is not a result of a country of brutal and evil people.  This is a result of selfishness,  and of rich people trying to get richer, of powerful people seeking additional power.  These people are victims and we cannot stand by and turn our heads and inadvertently support this injustice.  We cannot put evil dictators into place in countries and then walk away while they wreak havoc for decades in the name of freedom and the good of all!

So if you wonder if there is more to life…there is.

And if you are stressing out about ‘celebrating a holiday that isn’t even close to the day of Jesus’ actual birth’ by buying unneeded things for undeserving people, open your eyes.

Take a walk outside, there are people hurting and dying, not just in Africa and not just in Cambodia.  All around you and me.  They crave not only food and nutrition and health but love and relationship and support. 

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

And I will not turn my back on my brother or sister in need.

If it is the last penny in my pocket, I will not avert my eyes and lose my soul.