A Culture of Scarcity

Those of us who live in the industrialized world often have no concept of our lucky we really are. In addition to the obvious economic blessings enjoyed by the vast majority of those who live in these countries, we also enjoy relative peace, security and stability.

My wife lived for many years on Colombia, and she tell stories of living in a country in which bombings, kidnappings and other violent acts were commonplace. One Mother's Day her local grocery store was bombed by Pablo Escobar.

Yet despite these blessings, it seems to me that we live in a culture that emphasizes scarcity--a concern for we don't have or can't have, instead of what we are blessed to have. And I think this culture of scarcity is a stumbling block to living the loving (agape) way of Christ.

So here is a reminder of how blessed we truly are. If you make only $40,000, you are in the top 3% income group in the world. Go to this website to see how rich and blessed you really are. After you look at your ranking, ask yourself, do you feel blessed? Share some of your abundance with the least of these by donating to one of these charities:

Lutheran World Relief
Episcopal Relief and Development
Maison de Naissance

And learn more about the Millennium Development Goals.

Finally, join the campaign to end extreme poverty.

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