Global Crisis!

This last Wednesday was a very significant day which a lot of people may have been oblivious to. March 11, 2009 was Global Food Crisis Day. What this day entailed was the coming together of people to help fight against starvation that is infecting the world. The organization that is taking the lead on this issue is Compassion International along with Christian radio stations such as Air 1, Christian churches, and compassionate people everywhere.

The fact was put forward that this is not just a centralized food shortage that is affecting Ethiopia, or India, or Africa; however, it is instead a world wide epidemic that is affecting every country in the world.

And yes, even America.

The U.N. World Food Program calls this issue a silent tsunami.

There are people all over the world who are surviving on less than $1 a day. Millions of children got to bed hungry every night and about 25,000 of them don’t wake up the next morning because they have starved to death.

And yes, there are people starving in America too.

Compassion International challenged people to donate just $13. They said that this small amount was enough to feed one starving child for an entire month. They then said that you could donate $156 which would feed a starving child for an entire year.

Now this shocked me.

The fact that a child could eat for as little as $13 a month is just amazing. The fact that a child could live off of $156 a year is just astounding.

I began to think about this in terms of the amount of money people spend each day on ‘STUPID’ stuff. Stuff like coffee, or energy drinks, or sodas. People spend $2 to $3 every day on drinks when there are little kids who don’t even have clean water to drink. And I am not claiming to be high and mighty either. I too have fallen victim to these “Little Luxuries.” And that’s just what they are, LUXURIES. We don’t need these things. Especially when there are children who are starving.

Just think about it.

If you buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks or an energy drink every day you are spending about $15 a week. That money that you spent in one week for a Little Luxury could have feed a starving child for an entire month.

I think about all the people who pray to Jesus every day asking him to help cure world hunger. I think about all the people who blame Jesus for not doing anything. I think about all the people who deny the existence of a compassionate God because nothing is happening. Then I think that Jesus has already done something. He has already given us the means to cure world hunger. Jesus has provided us with the money to take care of this problem, however, we instead are too self centered and selfish to make a difference. With all the money that we spend each day on ‘STUPID’ stuff we could instead be using that money to help feed a hungry starving child. But unfortunately we live in a world where not every one cares. Or they do care, but only about themselves.

I’m not saying to give up your ‘Little Luxuries’ or that it is wrong to treat yourself every once in awhile. What I am saying is that maybe you should think about the starving child that you could be feeding each month if maybe you cut one cup of coffee or one energy drink out of your week each month. If you did something as SIMPLE as this then you could be doing something as GREAT as feeding a starving child each month.

Just think about it.