One with despair and death : One with hope and a future
Today we had a small child (maybe 2 years old) arrive at the clinic dead. Bloated from severe anemia and malnutrition. As I listened to the child's chest and checked for a pulse, I fully realized the meaning of "dead silent". I looked at the white limp body, felt the stiffness in the child's jaw and I could hear the mother wailing behind me.
I have many choices in this moment. I can be frustrated with the inequality in the world. With the fact that many of us have enough to eat, that many others in this Western world lack for nothing while 2 year old children starve to death.
Or
I can be mad at the mother who despite being poor did not chose to feed her child over making sure she herself was clothed adequately. Who maybe believed in the "curse" that was placed on her child and did not bring her in to a clinic on time.
Or
I can be frustrated with a country that has 85% unemployment rate and is not providing jobs for their people resulting in children starving every day
OR
I can choose to be thankful. Thankful that my children will not have to go through this. Thankful that my twins have been saved from this fate.
Or
Proud to be part of a mission that cares for children such as these through a loving orphanage and health care program. Proud to be part of a mission that feeds over 14 000 meals a day preventing many more deaths, proud to spread God's word to the hurting and hungry
Or
I can thank God that he would choose us to come to this place, to learn from this, to experience and grow like we can in no other place.
Or
I can choose to be happy for this child. For this child will no longer feel pain, will no longer cry, will no longer hunger. She will no longer want for anything, she will no longer be judged, she will no longer be lonely.
Today, I choose the latter of the two ways to look at life. I can let it beat me down, or I can learn and grow from it.
I choose to learn and grow.
