I just returned from a trip to Mexico
with my church. We went to serve
alongside a ministry called El Refugio in Ensenada. The founders of this work is a precious family
from Canada who moved to Mexico when they felt a call to rescue young ladies
who have been victimized by the sex trafficking world. Their work is noteworthy, much needed and
their love for these abused and wounded young ladies is second to none.
Our role on this short trip was
simply to encourage, support and come alongside this ministry. The guys we took were limited to more manual
labor projects around the compound while the ladies were able to connect, hang
out and just listen to the young ladies and their stories. Lots of tears and heartache were shared,
along with great nuggets of healing.
As I've had a week to reflect on
the trip, yes - I am so saddened by what these girls have had to endure at the
hands of perversion; my heart and prayers go out to them. In fact, we are already planning a trip in
the late fall to spoil the girls, to provide them with the greatest weekend ever
- a weekend of learning how to surf, a time where our ladies will provide
manicures, pedicures, make-up sessions, bring dresses & nice shoes... you
know, girl stuff. That's going to be a
monumental weekend of fun, faith and great therapy for these gals.
Back to my reflection, I'm amazed
at the abundance my life affords. On one
of the afternoons, we went to take some snacks out to a migrant camp that was
an hour or so away. When we arrived, not
only was the stench prevalent, the landscape worn & beaten down, what hurt
me the most was the lack of hope on the faces of the workers. Day after day, in the 90+ degree heat, with
no vacation, no overtime, no affirmation, no dream of a better day, they work,
and work and work. My heart hurt for
them, however, there was really nothing I could do to effectuate any change in
their temporal existence. The only thing
I could do was provide them a bit of laughter by being silly, a literal cup of
cold water and a tangerine wrapped with a piece of candy. The best thing we did, I reckon, was pray for
them. Grateful, yes they were. Appreciative, totally! Sad we drove off, you bet.
All to say, I'm evaluating my
things in light of this experience just nine hours from my opulent life. I just did a count of my stuff in my closet.
Are you ready? It's kind of
embarrassing, here goes: I have 14 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of slippers, 6 pairs
of flip-flops, 18 pants, 3 suits and 1 sport coat. I have 20 nice long sleeve shirts, 33 nice
short sleeve shirts, 51 tee shirts, 11 designer sweaters, 12 beanies, 39 hats...
you get the picture! Yes, I'm very
grateful and blessed for this abundance.
However, really - enough is enough, right?
I guess what I'm thinking, as I
type out load, is that I'm going to be more intentional about living that
attitude of gratitude. My directive from
my favorite Rabbi is that in all things, I am to give thanks. And, every perfect gift does come from above
and as I may have these things now, I may not have them tomorrow. The real essence of life isn't in the
abundance of the things, but in a relationship with my Creator - this can't be
reduced to a thing because He is the Thing, if you will.
In short, the lesson I'm
gathering is simply this: let's be grateful & at the same time, careful
that the luxury we're afforded with doesn't preempt that which is most
important. Namely, cultivating a
relationship with our Creator. Thanks
for listening...
