Open your ojos.

Thought.

There is more than what we're living in. Self-centeredness eats away at our society today, whether that be in accumulating wealth for ourselves or wallowing in self-pity at our current state. These are the two sides to the pendulum.

1. Rich people are oblivious to the poverty in the world, and don't know how good they really have it.

2. Impoverished people are oblivious to the ability to dream big dreams, and think there's no hope in the world, so "why try?".

So this is where this thought leaves me. I am a lower-middle class white girl. This bothers me sometimes, but I've learned to deal. Based on my life experience growing up in a regular neighborhood, going to school in the ghetto, learning to love diversity, learning to love seeing the light go on in people's spiritual minds when they see Jesus in a new way... I've found that I am caught between two worlds.

The first one: I love what I have, that's not a bad thing, and I'm not tied down by any of it. God's given it, and He can take it. No surprise there. I've been blessed by having some crazy godly people in my life pour into me truths that have made me think hard about what I really believe. I've gone to amazing schools, when I shouldn't have. My family's never had a lot of money, but we've always had what we needed. I can go to Riverpark and watch a movie (matinee, mind you...none of this $10 business) with friends, head to Jamba Juice when I have some spare change, and I have a car that works, and a family that lets me live at home. I am crazy blessed!

The second: The dirty, rough parts of town (mine, or any other big one) make me feel alive. As in, more alive than anywhere else. And hey! God is at work there, too. The people have better stories, they're more colorful, there's more inspiration, there are more smells, things are closer together so you can walk places...and heck, the best food is down there. I enjoy being the minority. It's sad how being the minority makes you stand out. My experience has taught me to not be afraid. Why should I? My eyes and mind and heart have been made more aware of those around me, and if it's my time to go, please let it happen! I want to be with Jesus more than anything else in life, so don't deprive me of that.

Fewf. Well with that being said, what do we do now? I suppose my biased conclusion is that middle-class people are most privileged since they can more easily put their foot in both camps. But that doesn't satisfy me. What can be done? Francis Chan says it's "sexy these days to go out and do crazy things like go off and rescue kids from brothels, but those same people willing to do those things aren't willing to be faithful in the little things here." What? Really? Yeah, I'd tend to agree. So I'd say it's not good enough to just raise awareness, but we're so blinded by our own situations! I feel like running out into the streets sometimes yelling, "There is more to life than what you currently know!"

Long story short, so where do I fit?
I hate grappling with dualism. It exists, but most of the time, I choose to ignore it. But some things aren't meant to be ignored.

You can blame this thought coming about because we have a group project coming around soon and we have to find a problem at school or in the community that we have to find a new, unheard of solution. So what's our solution here? God didn't come to heal the well. Nor did was he okay with broken relationships. He came to bridge the two.

So now what?