Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Invisible in death
You know how you can hear facts for a long time, and at best you say, “Oh, that’s really bad.” Then suddenly one day the same information hits your heart and tear glands?
That’s me right now. I was just browsing through new posts from blogs I subscribe to. I was stopped in my tracks by today’s post from Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center:
According to UNICEF, 25,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”
T-W-E-N-T-Y—F-I-V-E—T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D! Yesterday! Today! Tomorrow! Every day!
175,000 next week.
750,000 next month.
Next year: 9,125,000 times that parents’ arms will be emptied of their child.
Those of us who have lost children and grandchildren don’t have to imagine their grief. What’s harder for us here to understand is the spirit-deadness that sets in, knowing that it will probably happen again and again–when every pregnancy causes grief because of the hopelessness, knowing that you will probably lose this child too.
The full post goes on with statistics that blow my mind when I stop and think about the size of the numbers. I’m not good with numbers unless they’re matched up with a reality I can imagine and feel. Like this: In 2003 the number of children who died under the age of 5 was the same as if all the children under 5 in France, Germany, Greece, and Italy were wiped away.
What can we do?
What are you or your friends doing?
What organizations can we support that are directly helping these “meek and weak in life” in the poorest villages on earth?
6 Responses to “Invisible in death”
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Forgive my ignorance- but how exactly does one “subscribe” to this blog? If it is too difficult to explain- I’ll keep poking around till I figure it out.
I am trying to keep the needs of others before my eyes. We are so accountable for what we know- and our own turning away in a “see no evil” is no avenue to claim the lesser chastisement of the ignorant. To whom much is given–(perhaps this would also apply to the luxury of our computers that bring the needs of the world to our awareness)–much is required. Now—having said that- I have made myself all the more accountable. I think that this would come under the category of the fear of the Lord.
May God give me grace.
The obvious of our responsibility- is to pray, to support monetarily, and seek out like needs in the lives of our own community. I’d like to hear of how this is built upon and how this is worked out in the lives of others here. Personally- I regret that I did not engraft this need (the down trodden) more into the time I spent homeschooling our now grown daughters. But it is still day- and my children are still my children- so we talk of these things today.
Janae
Thanks for the question. I found it hard at first to figure out how to subscribe.
Check my next post, I linked to instructions from my son Abraham that helped me.
[...] March 13th, 2010How to subscribe to a blogIn my previous post, I mentioned that I was reading through the new posts on blogs I subscribe to.I find it a great [...]
Plodding along at our own pace with instructions–still gets the job done. Thank you!
I have been continuing to think about the questions you posed here as I have been ironing my husbands shirts. Two down- four to go.
Number one- prayer. From here, all else springs forward–knowing that even here in this beginning point, I have been prompted by Him.
Prayer-
* to know how to pray
* for a greater awareness of the needy presently around around me.
* for wisdom and discernment to act wisely in my giving (both here and abroad).
I would LOVE to go abroad in missions. But God has me here and I must be obedient here in this present day–in my comforts–here where I am to fight all the more–in faith–laboring to lift up those in need–though the sights and smells and sounds are so far from me.
Four more shirts to go.
Janae
[...] are Noel Piper’s thoughts. This is where I found the link from and I appreciate her posting on the [...]