I am so excited to share what is on my heart and mind these days. It has alot to do with where I feel God is calling me (and you).
Recently I saw a video that was raising awareness: it said that every so many seconds another woman suffered as a victim of domestic violence. It reminded me of similar videos that I have watched in the past that address worldwide catastrophes or social injustices. Typically, these are all preventable tragedies like children dying from hunger or from lack of access to clean water. Each video ends by compelling the viewer to do something about the situation.
The crazy thing about these videos is that the tragedy addressed is preventable to a certain degree (like if somehow people had access to clean water, they wouldn't die of diarrhea and dehydration). And although it isn't that simple, the video seems to suggest that maybe if we all did something about it, we could end world hunger or erradicate human trafficking.
I tell you what used to happen to me when I watched these videos: I would get overwhelmed because it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, then I would eventually forget about the video (very soon after watching it) and then I would go on with my life as if nothing had ever happened.
Sometimes I would rationalize the situation by thinking: "I mean, even if I did donate $5 to the cause, the problem will still be there." Or, "even if I went on a trip abroad to serve the needy, it probably won't change a thing." True and true.
After watching enough of these videos I sort of became numb and would completely ignore them even when they somehow snuck their way into my daily routine.
And it's the same with the homeless guy at the stoplight that wants to wash your windshield or is asking for money. "No, please don't, I don't need you to wash my windshield." The classic move is checking my phone for texts as I'm waiting there just to avoid eye contact with the guy in the wheelchair.
And it gets so awkward, you can just feel the tension rise in your shoulders. You roll up the window, turn up the stereo, strike up a superficial conversation with your co-passenger: anything to avoid being asked for another penny.
At least the awareness videos don't stare back at you. You can at least ignore them while enjoying the comfort of your plush couch.
Then I got fed up by the whole situation.
I got fed up with doing nothing, but yet I knew that I wouldn't be able to solve the problem either even if I did give away all my hard earned money and went bankrupt for the cause. So what was I supposed to do?
I went to a very close and wise friend and asked him how he dealt with situations like these. His answer was simpler than I expected: ask God what He thinks you should do.
Sooo simple but yet true.
Ultimately the problems of world hunger or extreme poverty are not my burden to carry, they're God's. And how could I be so arrogant to think that I can change a God-sized problem?
But yet God can use us. And that's where we don't get off the hook either. So the answer remains: I need to ask God what I should do about the situation and pray for those that are in those situations.
For example, whenever it comes to deciding whether to give money to a homeless person, I ask God about it. Sometimes I feel I should buy them coffee, sometimes I feel I should not give them anything, other times I feel like I should give them a couple bucks. Lately, I have found God nudging me instead to donate to a local homeless shelter whose purpose is to give people a chance to get back on their feet (job training, rehab, etc).
On the larger scale, when facing the huge disparities and injustices in the world, as I asked God for guidance he answered me by giving me a passion to serve the poor through medicine. Whenever I think of those without access to a doctor because they barely have enough money to put food on the table, my heart leaps out of my chest. And I find peace in dedicating my life to following this passion, even though it may not address all of the world's problems.
And even when God calls you to help out somehow, there is freedom. Because the problem lies in God's healing hands, not ours. When thinking about serving the poor as a doctor abroad, to think that I will solve this problem of access to health care is a bit conceited. The truth is that only God can fix these issues. Therefore I can stop pretending that the world needs me and I can step off the "savior platform" and let God be God.
Don't get me wrong, I do hope to make a difference in my lifetime (by helping expand and run a locally sustained health care organization in an under-resourced area of the world). But I also understand that after I die my footprints of hard work will most likely fade as quickly as I left them. And that's okay. Because God is good and he will still be in the business of healing the world. And when it is all said and done at least I can say that I had an amazing time on earth following the passion that God has called me to pursue.
Ultimately my life-goal then becomes no longer to "change the world" but to do my best at loving the people I come in contact with. Isn't that essentially what Jesus taught us?
Back to the case of the homeless person at the stoplight, if loving them is the answer, then ignoring them is definitely not. So even though I may want to look the other way, I still acknowledge their presence by nodding or a casual wave, and then I ask God for guidance.
As I end this blog, I hope that when faced with the overwhelming issues of the world, we would turn to God instead of pretending that we can save ourselves. There is freedom and peace in knowing that God takes care of every person, and it is not our job to carry that weight. However we should be open to not looking away when someone is asking us for help, but to face them head on with God's love.
