In All Honesty
By Gabby M.
In
all honesty, we shouldn't have had a chance at even a fraction of the
kind of lives we lead. Especially as Americans, we were born with more
than enough to keep us doing reasonably well, if not thriving. Sure,
we've all had our ups and downs in life. I can say I've had my fair
share of hurt and trials. But do we ever just stop and think about how
incredibly blessed we are?
The
other day I was watching television, and a commercial came on
advertising mascara, and again, it was dramatized to the point where I
just had to roll my eyes. Seriously? How is it even possible to dress up
an eye product commercial that much?
But
this time, I did more than just sigh and roll my eyes. Something
different happened. Suddenly I was viewing the commercial in the mind of
someone who is from a third-world country, and this is what I saw:
A
white American, flashy lights, booming colors, and a rich snob who knew
nothing of what she had. She was trashy. Greedy. Vain. Ungrateful. I
suddenly had no desire to purchase what she was selling and instead felt
a burning anger toward the American way of life.
Can
you imagine what would go through their mind? Take Haiti for example.
They just suffered an earthquake not long ago, and are still in ruins.
And here we are, trampling each other and camping outside the store on
Black Friday, just so we can get STUFF. That's all it is, just stuff.
And most of it we don't need.
I
am really getting sick of all the selfishness and lack of gratitude I'm
seeing in people today. We are so busy going after what we want that we
can't appreciate what we already have.
I
know the statement I'm making is bold, and I am saying this having been
guilty of this attitude myself. But God has opened my eyes to see that
life is more than boys, celebrities, drugs, parties, test finals,
internet and even friends. I am just going to go ahead and go all "mom"
on you guys and say, "There are kids in Africa who don't even get
Christmas presents!!"
But
back to a more serious note...the older I get, the more I find this
statement to be more than a "mom" thing. I know when I get to be a
mother I will probably say the same thing no matter how much my kids
talk back, because we must appreciate what we have. It keeps us from
being selfish, and prevents negativity in thoughts which, if left
unattended, will quickly spiral into depression.
Jesus
had a hard life. He was born in a barn, for starters. That's pretty
weird for a king, don't you think? Then growing up, he had to play with
his friends without sinning. What about peer pressure? Or when they
treat you wrong? Then in his adulthood, his days were full of stress and
crowds of people pressing in on him, wanting him only for what he had
and not for who he was. He healed people even when his best friend
passed away and he wanted nothing more but to be alone. He didn't have a
place to stay, and I wouldn't be surprised if some nights he had to
sleep on the street.
But
he still loved people, no matter how self-centered.. He still came to
bring us peace, hope, healing, and truth. All those things we would do
well to offer to each other this Christmas year.
In all honesty, we don't deserve what he has given to us. But he gave freely, and so should we.
Merry Christmas everyone. :)
