me and you and the other side of the world.
I have the most random thoughts sometimes. For instance, today I was in the shower and thought, I wonder what life is like for folks on the exact opposite side of the planet from where I am here in the SF Bay Area? So, after I got out of the shower, I found a globe and spun it 180 degrees to nearly the exact latitude and longitude and guess where I landed? Tajikistan!
Later, when I had more time, I Googled Tajikistan. I’d heard of the country but knew nothing about it. Now I know more than I care to but here are some fun facts;
1. The country is completely landlocked. Bordered by Afghanistan, China, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
2. The country is only 6% flat lands and 94% mountain ranges.
3. The legend of the Yeti is still considered to exist in Tajikistan.
4. The famous Silk Road, a major trade route between China and Europe runs through Tajikistan.
5. 50% of the population (8M people) live below the poverty line and the average monthly wage is, wait for it……. $173 USD. That’s $2,076/year!
I recently learned that the world’s average wage is $19,188 USD (CNN Money) and according toglobalrichlist.com, if you made $32,000.00 last year, you are among the top 1% of the world’s richest people!
While I realize that my daily reality and surroundings here in Danville are quite different even from those of say, folks in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, (which is only @ 20 miles away from my home) truth is, even most folks living there are wealthy compared to the rest of the people in the world, especially when you factor in elements such as education, access to healthcare, clean water, etc…
At the end of the day though, we’re all the same really, aren’t we? I mean, when you strip it all back (I mean way back) like when we strip away our pride, our ego and even our literal clothing, we are all just human and God doesn’t see status or place of origin or race, He’s sees individual people…souls.
According to a recent Google search, I discovered that the odds of your being born in this particular time, place and circumstance is about 1 in 400,000,000,000! Be thankful! I feel so blessed to be alive in this time and in this place on earth. I try not to take for granted the fact that the weather where I live is typically amazing, I have unlimited access to clean drinking water, I have excellent medical care/options, I know how to read, write and type. I have a roof over my head with a cozy bed and a warm shower every morning. I have clothes and the ability to easily wash them whenever I need to. I have a car to get me where I need to go and I have a pantry and refrigerator filled with fresh food. I am rich. So are you.
It’s so easy to lose sight of all of this, isn’t it? Not only do I lose perspective but I can also slip into an entitlement mentality around it all and then when the power goes out or when I can’t find a matching sock or when I get stuck in traffic or God forbid, lose Wi-Fi for an hour, I come unhinged, freak out and whine until order is restored. Classic.
I wouldn’t want to change a thing and I’m not looking to trade places with my counterpart in Tajikistan but living here in the west does pose a bit of dilemma. It’s a Catch22, isn’t it? On the one hand, we have everything we “need” and most of what we “want” and on the other hand because we have everything we “need” and most of what we “want” we are fully self-sufficient, independent individuals except where does that leave us when it comes to needing God?
The bible speaks about how it is nearly impossible for the rich to love God. The analogy used is that of a camel fitting through the eye of a needle (Mark 10:25). In other words, when our daily needs are easily met and when we have unlimited access and options to what the poor would consider a miracle from heaven, then God gets pushed to the margins and we fill the empty spaces with more of whatever it is we desire because we can. If I’m hungry, I eat. If I’m dirty, I bathe. If I’m thirsty, I drink. If I’m cold, I put on a jacket. And so on… The poor (most of the rest of the world’s population) don’t have so many options and so they are driven to God for daily provision and I would imagine they know Him differently than you and I. They know him as Jehovah Jireh (old testament Hebrew for, “The God who provides”).
Bottom line – God wants to be at the center of our lives, not in the margins. Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Questions for us to ponder:
Do you make space for God in your life or has He been pushed to the margins?
Do the comforts and amenities of your life play any role in how you approach your relationship with God?
Would love to hear your thoughts!
Let’s go get it!