Chips & Salsa

"Many native missionaries and their families experience days without food – not because they are fasting voluntarily but because they have no money to buy rice. This occurs especially when they start new work in villages where there are no Christians.
Remembering the heartbreaking suffering of the native brethren, I sometimes refused to eat the desserts so often served to me. I am sure this made no difference in supplying food for the hungry families, but I couldn’t bear to take pleasure in eating while Christian workers in Asia were going hungry."
K.P. Yohannan, Revolution in World Missions

A bunch of bible college students and I were hanging out at some friends’ place in the city. The students had brought chips, salsa and drinks to enjoy during the evening. We had a great time indeed, playing some games and we laughed a lot. The chips and salsa were set before us and everyone started to dig in with delight as we chatted. Then people were asked what they wanted to drink. I did not eat or drink anything that evening. I was asked several times if I wanted some chips or people told me that I was allowed to drink something, but I refused. It’s not that I was more spiritual or something, but I was simply watching the people eating and I just felt that it was sad. Every time we get together, here in the West, we like to have food to enjoy, and it’s great. I have nothing against that. We have the privilege to enjoy food almost all the time. But that evening, I just sat there and watched. I almost felt like I was actually only present in spirit, totally detached from the group. I thought that people were probably not realizing how much we take food for granted and not as a blessing from God, that most people on earth had barely what they needed to eat everyday or less, and here we were, enjoying good company and eating thoughtlessly.
As K.P. Yohannan says, I knew that refusing to eat a thing did not supply any food to anybody (or actually, maybe more chips to my friends…) but I was simply in my thinking mood and felt I couldn’t simply enjoy food and drinks that evening, because so many people had a hard time getting one meal a day for themselves.

It makes me feel like I need to be more aware of the blessing I have to have three meals a day and often, snacks in between. Every time there is food for me to enjoy, a meal or a snack, I should take the time to bless God for His goodness to me. And I should help others around me, who enjoy the same blessings, to thank God precisely for that food.

Being thankful is one thing, but I think there is more to be done, more that is expected from us. It makes me think of the story in the New Testament where it is said that a certain person walks by someone who lacks clothes and doesn’t have food and the person simply leave him and say “Be merry, keep warm and eat well” without helping this someone in need, or something like that, I can’t find it now but… It is one thing to enjoy with thankfulness the blessings of God on our life, but not being sensitive to the needs of others when we have plenty, will, I believe, pile up a judgment on ourselves.

When I watch people and listen what they say, I am a bit confused. People like to complain and talk about how little money they have and all the bills they have to pay, while eating in a restaurant, or wearing a new pair of jeans, or licking the ice cream cone they just bought. It doesn’t make sense to me. There are plenty of ways we can save money. I might sound out-of-context, but when we think of it, since we have so much and enjoy without really realizing how blessed we are, why shouldn’t we consider to cut back on things like snacks, a 5th pair of pants, getting the last cd of our favourite band and etc. to save that money and support our brothers and sisters in need. We sometimes thin we are in need so why should we supply for other people’s needs. Well, we aren’t in need of anything and if we think of it we choose to buy stuff that we don’t need while other people don’t even have the essential.

I believe God wants us to be thankful for all the blessings He pours on us and I believe He might use these blessings to “test” us, to see if we’ll enjoy it to the max or if we’ll be wise and live simply, sharing with those in need.
That’s why I sometimes refuse to eat a snack or to buy a new shirt, because it makes me sick to simply enjoy so many things while my brothers and sisters elsewhere go hungry and cold. It’s not that my refusal to eat or buy something will change anything for them, but if I choose to share the money God gives me, even when it means to cut back on certain things, to help God’s people, then I believe I will be fulfilling God’s purpose He intends for His children.

BANK FOR NATIVE MISSIONARIES: 25.00$ / as of March 14, 2006
PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING A NATIVE MISSIONARY IN INDIA SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS BY GIVING A FEW BUCKS SO HE CAN GET GOSPEL TRACKS, BIBLES ETC. EMAIL ME FOR MORE INFO. gabeleroux@yahoo.ca
Thanks for all who gave already!