I’ve
just returned from two back-to-back trips that left my mind swimming. Two weeks ago I went with a team of five
others to serve on a week-long mission trip at the El Hogar orphanage in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 12 hours after I
returned home, Tim and I took Rachel and Scott on a once-in-a-lifetime three
day vacation to Orlando.
Within
the space of 24 hours I went from the Third World to Disney World. Less than a day after I saw children scrape their
plates to get at the last bit of their meager dinner of refried beans, I saw families
leave huge piles of uneaten food behind for someone else to clean up. I went from watching a child without a family
play happily with nothing but a piece of yarn, to watching a child melt down
because his mother wouldn’t buy him a $110 Harry Potter robe.
The trips, and my responses to them, were extreme. I spent a week serving the poorest of the
poor and came back filled to overflowing.
I spent three days surrounded by extravagance and indulgence and came
back…tired.
There’s
nothing wrong with Disney World or Orlando or fun. I believe God loves us and wants us to enjoy
all the goodness He has to offer (which is plenty!). I loved being able to treat the kids to such
a fun holiday and I am grateful that we had the resources to go on this kind of
trip. But I thank God that I had the
opportunity to serve in Honduras first. It
gave me some perspective.
Jesus
came so that we can “have life and have it to the full.” I shouldn’t mistake a “full” life with a
self-indulgent life. I don’t want to spend
all my energies making me and mine as comfortable as possible before I comfort
those in need. Yes, I want to give good
things to my family, but they are not the only ones who deserve my attention. I can’t give only when I have “extra” money or
serve when I find the “extra” time. I
want my giving and service to be common in timing and uncommon in generosity.
And
I want to teach that to my children. I
want them to know the difference between the fleeting giddiness that comes from
a theme park ride and the true joy that comes from serving. There is nothing wrong with the first, but
there is something profound and wonderful in the second. I wouldn’t want them to miss it for the
world, Disney or otherwise.
