Routines and Choices

      It is summer time, so I am sure many of you can relate.  I have found that it really wears on me to be traveling for over three months and out of routine.  I long to be ‘settled’.  It is so easy to have my mind wonder into the grass is greener thinking.  We drive past a home and I find myself thinking about how comforting it would be in that home, as if settling there would ease all my discomfort.  It gets me dreaming a lot about what life would or will be like returning to the US. 

       As I was continuing to reflect on this lack of routine and my rising discontentment, I was led to think about all the people who have no choice in life of where they live or what they eat.  Think about the young mom juggling multiple children in a single room of the homeless shelter or taking her children through the cafeteria line for another round of hot dogs.  The noise.  The disruption.  The confusion. 

      I recently read an article about refugees in a troubled area in our region and the disruption that BH has caused to them recently.  The lack of food, comfort and schooling in this area is humbling.  The lack of hope for the future is discouraging. 

    Tears come to my eyes as I think of the men, women and children around this world trafficked.  No control.  Stuck in the corrupt system of greedy people. 

Not to mention the many people in the world with enough resources, control, choice and power who have broken hearts or feel stuck in the success wheel. 

And so I come to the conclusion that I act in so many non-disciplined and weak ways.  I could focus more on routine – even when traveling.  But even more important, I must spend my days being more grateful and seeing the joy and gift that God has given me each and every day.  In addition, praying for ways to still my greedy and selfish heart. 

     Last year at New Wilmington Mission Conference, I had the privilege of listening to my cousin, Mike Moore lead a Bible study a couple of days.  One challenge the Holy Spirit placed on my heart from his teaching was how true worship comes from thankfulness.  I have had thankfulness as a focus this year, but out of routine I tend to so quickly slip into discontentment.  

     Please pray for the many people in the world without choice and together today let's choose to be grateful for our many choices and enough.