My Luxury

So yesterday, was Hope's annual Critical Issue Symposium (CIS). Each year, Hope decides on a topic and takes the day from classes to talk about it. Speakers come from different places around the country as well as some are professors who teach here already. Despite the fact that most students view the day as a mini weekend and spend it doing whatever they please (myself included), it really is a neat idea. The classes taught this year involved food on many various levels: eating healthy, food and medicine, growing obesity, agriculture, hunger and poverty etc. Because of my interest in missions and social justice, the last topic really should have grabbed my attention, but alas it did not. As sad as I am to admit, I didn't attend any of the lectures. I instead indulged myself in my own selfishness; I stayed out until 3 A.M. just because I could, slept in incredibly late, went bowling, watched TV, went on Facebook, and managed to squeeze in a little time for homework. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly thinking about the poor or hungry, that is until it slapped me in the face today at lunch... In front of me on the desk as I entered the cafeteria was a sheet of paper with the profile of a single mother of three kids who was on food stamps. For the entire day, she had $4.73 to spend on food for herself (or 30 food stamps). If that price wasn't overwhelming already, in the cafeteria there were also stamp numbers by the food options. The sandwiches alone in the line I went through were 10 food stamps, and the salad that I ended up getting was probably at least that or more (fresh food– fruit or veggies– is always more expensive). Also, the soup I had was 5 food stamps, totaling 15 plus stamps for lunch. If I was that mom, my miniscule lunch would have been more than half of my stamps for the day. I couldn't believe it. And to make the experience even more disheartening, I grabbed an apple to go. Without even thinking, I also took 2 small containers of peanut butter (1.5 ounces together). Then, I looked down to see the stamp value of the peanut butter: 3 stamps per container. It was unreal to me; never had I considered peanut butter a luxury. It really made me think. How does this mother survive? And what else do I have as luxuries that never cross my mind?


Dear God,
Today is a day of realization. Help this quiet cafeteria experience change my life, not only reminding me to be thankful, but prompting me to action. I want to make a difference in this world, but cannot from my peanut butter built hill of selfish desires. Reveal to me how I can impact needs around me. And show me even more that it is not on my own strength and ability that I have luxury; I have been given these things so that I can get outside myself and reach the community and world in which I live. I thank you and I praise you for this day. Amen