A Place at the Table 03 - Rice
God, we are so thankful that You use all things to draw us near to You. Regardless of who we are, what we wear, who we know, what we drive, You meet us. You come to us in the slums as well as the heights. You give us opportunities to be a part of Your kingdom here on earth. We long for heaven. Give us a foretaste of Your love, grace, and beauty as we seek to live as family with those suffering near and far. We thank You that You can use us in the same ways You have used the great heroes of the Bible. Lead us on that path, Lord. Amen.
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What I heard in Seay's reflection today is a focus on seemingly small actions we can take in the positions that many of us find ourselves. Many of us find ourselves in places where we can have influence and can reach out to people who are supposed to be able to make a difference for the poor in the world. He references Matthew 11 when Jesus speaks of the yoke that he puts upon us and how we are to use that yoke to be led to the work that we are called to do. As I read, I kept thinking of little things adding up. Individual snowflakes adding up to piles of snow, individual grains of rice adding up to be able to feed people, and so forth. I highlighted the following today:
...using the considerable power every Westerner already enjoys for the sake of the poor is both righteous and life-changing - for us and for the poor.
There are some great websites that offer ways we can immediately make a difference for others - The Hunger Site is a great place to start. Go there every day and click the big button at the top of the page and food is donated to those in need. A small thing, yes. But when many do it together, such as on February 19th, nearly 5 metric tons of food were donated. Want to do more? Write your elected leaders both local and national and ask for them to advocate for the poor in the world? What about getting our hands dirty? Set up a time to regularly volunteer at a shelter, a food pantry, or a mentoring group in your community. The possibilities are endless but the change can happen. One grain of rice at a time.