Spoiled Rotten

I am such a weanie. O.k., I admitted it. Spoiled South Carolinians who aren't use to having cold weather for more than a week at a time. It has been a month of cold! Do you hear me!?! A WHOLE month. (my apologies to any of my midwest readers as you curse me under your breath).

And today, I can't clean my bathrooms. Because our heat is again on the fritz. The powers that be that designed my multi-level, 3-bedroom house failed to put a system in that has enough power to push warm air from it's location to our bedroom at the other end. So every winter, Tony and I pull out the little space-heater for our bathroom to avoid me shaving off chill-bumps every morning. Cause believe me, that's pain for ya. Anyway, I don't want to dive into water-associated cleaning as our heat pump is wavering around 65 degrees. 65 degrees I tell ya!!! (and again, to those living in -14 degree weather, I really do feel for you).... Tony went out and bought another space heater. No kidding.

The whole neighborhood is falling apart! Just this past week, my friend and neighbor had to come and take a shower as his water heater only warmed enough water for a 2-inch tub-full for their 2 kiddos. Lack of warm water, lack of warm rooms, hmmmm. I think it's some kind of global warming conspiracy.

So my non-warm-water friend and I were talking about just how spoiled we are. And about how when little things happen on our front, it is a chance for God to once again show us, we're pretty darn blessed, or more accurately, pretty darn spoiled.

Last year, I read a blog from Compassion India bloggers with the following photo:
That's a teenage girl, taking a bath on the streets of Calcutta. And I fuss when I may have to take a bath in a private shower, in my own bathroom, with a heater outside the doors and a little shiver.

We fuss when our dryer is on the blitz and we are forced to trek our clothing to a laundry mat a mile down the road. Yet mothers worldwide are washing their clothing in a tub outside their house.

I add an extra blanket on the top of my super-thick comforter, as my bedroom is hovering around 65 degrees. Children are shivering in third world countries, sleeping on cardboard with thin fabric as a covering. No insulation but tons of cracks around the door and floors.

You know I could go on, and on, and on. About the shoes that just don't match. The clothing that is out of style. The cupboard with "nothing to eat".

I know there were a number of you who just skimmed the above statements. Heard it before... but until this year, I had not heard the verse saying that if you have heard, which we all have... if you have seen, which we all have ...

Proverbs 24:12
" Don’t excuse yourself by saying, "Look, we didn’t know."
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve."

It's not about guilt, and it's not about feeling bad for what we have. But it is about waking up to how blessed we are. And realizing that with that blessing should also be a realization of those less fortunate and a craving to help where you can. Whether it be in your neighborhood, your city, or half-way across the world. We've all heard others harp on helping the needy, but have you actually done anything about it? Besides writing out a check on Sundays and checking that off your to-do list. It's great to tithe but are you really getting the joy of seeing what your efforts are doing if you stop at that? Just saying...

Start with one, just one child, and see what a difference a little effort can make.
Sponsor a child.

Proverbs 3:27-28 "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "come back later; I'll give it tomorrow" - when you now have it with you."