A New Term

There's a term that describes understanding the difference between how we live our lives in America versus how many others live in the rest of the world. Now, we know in the West we have certain expectations and "luxuries" that a majority never experience. Not because of a lack of willpower, or a lack of desire. Just simply because of a lack of resources available to them to move out of the situation they are in.

If you're born in a certain caste, you can't move out of it. If you do enough good, you may come back in a higher caste after you die, but no guarantees.

If your parents died because there wasn't the right medicine available to them that we in the West have readily available, you are an orphan. Orphaned because you simply didn't live where basic medicine is available.

You want to learn. You've heard of school, but you have to work every day make money for your family so that you can have something to eat that night. Would you even be "allowed" in school? Is that something for everyone or just certain people? It would be such a luxury to go to school.

How can you get out of this brothel you were sold into? Is there a way out? Everyone that's tried has been beaten and starved. Surely if you work hard enough you will be released one day. That day comes, you are released after decades of being in the brothel. Now what. You have no where to go. No one knows you where you are. You have no other way to earn money. Maybe you should just go back?

The term is being disturbed. Not just disturbed though. It is being Gloriously Disturbed.

Even in our own city. We were downtown and saw a homeless person eating someone else's food from their to go box that they gave to him when they passed by him on the street. We walked less than 50 feet inside a store and there were shoes priced for over $100. What a paradox.

$100 shoes aren't "wrong" if everything else is in line ... but what a difference in what we saw visually within a matter of seconds. This just can't go unnoticed.

In many parts of the world you confront these opposites in life daily ... hourly ... constantly.

Now being in America, the homeless person has a lot of resources available to him that people in other parts of the world with nothing have no hope of. There are homeless shelters and opportunities for government help. If you are going to fall on hard times, America is certainly the place to do it! You have the best chance to get back on your feet than anywhere else, and we are thankful for that.

It's disturbing though.

I wonder why everyone isn't just "averaged" out? Why can't everyone at least start out at the same place in life and then let it be up to them what they do with it?

Maybe that was the original plan ... but it was messed up. We are living in that messed up place still. It's not perfect.

But.

We have been given hope. We have been given a way out. We know that this is not our home and this is not the end.

We will come to a place when we can see it the way we are created to see it. Not through the angled lens that we use since we live in this world.

May each one of us be Gloriously Disturbed.

May this Disturbance ignite us to make a difference where we are or be courageous enough to step out to where we are supposed to be.