I recently read an article that struck several chords with me, and I have a question for anyone who might come across this little article of mine: How often do you reflect on your life and the opportunities you’ve been given? In the past couple of months, I have thought about this quite often. Compared to the billions of people in the world who cannot even afford scraps of food every day, many of us have so much more than we need. We have been given so much. Meanwhile, we snap selfies of ourselves with our stuff when we feel like we’re having a good hair day We share our selfies after stamping on the classic “blessed” hashtag just so we have something to say. In some sort of twisted way, it’s like we want our friends (or perhaps frenemies) to know that we are blessed and to show that we know it, too.
We binge watch Netflix while stuffing our faces, and then complain about our lack of social lives as we lay in bed typing away at our phones. Truly, we do not take advantage of the opportunities that we have to get out there and make meaningful connections. I know I don’t. And I don’t know about you, but I complain so much more than I should. Yet, I have no reason on Earth to complain. If anyone should complain, it should be those who barely have anything, those who struggle to scrape by.
Am I truly blessed? I thought I had a pretty good idea a few months ago. I was blessed with a job I actually like, blessed with scholarships and grants, blessed with amazing friends, and blessed with a loving family. I was even blessed with a large student refund and enough savings to be able to go on a missions trip to Africa. I volunteered and stayed at a babies’ home there. The picture at the top of my article is of the little room I shared with another volunteer: this room is considered nice by Ugandan standards.
During my ten-day-long stay there, I saw some of the poorest people I have ever seen. While walking on one of the weathered sidewalks, I encountered one man who was dragging a cardboard box around. That was his shelter. I noticed that he was limping with the box dragging behind him. Yet, despite all this, he still managed to display a nearly toothless smile.
During my time in Uganda, I befriended people who would do nearly anything to come to America, the land of opportunity. Yet, these very same people are also some of the happiest, loving, and genuine people I have ever met. They love others with all of their hearts and they know what true friendship is. They are the kinds of people who ask you how you are doing every day because they care so much. The women (also known as “mamas”) who work at the babies’ home give all their time, love, and energy to those little orphans. They have so little, but they love so much. I have never thought of myself as a rich person, but in Uganda, the country I visited, the American dollar goes far. I realized that I would rather be rich in love than to be rich in wealth.
My nearly two-week missions trip to Uganda was truly an eye-opening experience that took some time for me to recover from. I was actually disgusted when I came back to America and saw just how wasteful many of us are. Clean water is a luxury in Uganda, and as nice as it was to take a long, American shower, I was disgusted with myself. What did I do to deserve a nice, hot shower, or my own room that is twice the size of a typical Ugandan home? What did I do to deserve all the doors of opportunities that have been placed in my life? Is it because I am #blessed that I have all these things in my life? Because the last time I checked, I am no better than anyone else. I have not done anything to deserve all that I have. I may work hard sometimes, but I would have never been able to do these things without the doors of opportunities that have been opened in my life, and mostly importantly, the grace of God. The truth is, I cannot take credit for what I have. I just don’t deserve it.
We are not blessed because of what we do or what we say. The Gospel is not some good news about how we can get whatever we want because Jesus died for us and wants the best for us. The article I read revealed the truth that we are not blessed because of what we have. We are blessed because of what Jesus did for the whole world. In this way, everyone is blessed by God. God lavishly pours out His grace on us, but it is not because of what we have done, it is because of what He has done.
Thus, even if I live a good and honest life, I should not expect God to bless me because “I’m just that great”. That is not how it works. God uses the poor. He uses the weak. He uses the heart-broken. He uses the lonely. He uses the weary. He uses those who are often ignored to share His love with others. The similarity between me and my Ugandan friends is that we have all been given the blessing of Jesus Christ. He is the only true blessing we have and it is through Him that we are abundantly shown favor. To always consider myself blessed is almost like a slap in the face to those who continuously pray for money and the means to survive. I am no more righteous than they are. It is not due to a lack of faith that so many people are poor. Jesus lived a poor life, but He was rich in love and grace and mercy. He was perfect. He actually deserved to live like the King He was and is.
So the next time someone asks me how I am, I am going to tell them that I am grateful. I am better than I deserve. Because God blessed the world by giving His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins and shows both you and I so much favor in our day to day lives. Jesus Christ is the reason I am #blessed. He lived the perfect life I could not live. He died for me, a sinner. Because of Jesus, I am #blessed in the eyes of God. For that I am #grateful.