Opportunities

What did you do today? What decisions did you make? Did you decide whether or not you would wear a purple or pink shirt? Perhaps you made the decision of if you wanted swiss or cheddar cheese on your sandwich. Or maybe, today, you made a life changing decision; where you would go to college, what job you would take, where you would move too. I sat down to play cards with some of the kids here, and like always, we played “amatatu,” the only card game they know. Even though they have played it thousands of times, they still love it. We had just filled our stomachs with posho and beans for the 100th meal in a row, but none of the children complain. They eat posho and beans, every day, for every meal. They wear the same clothes, a navy blue uniform. They wake up at the same time everyday, go to school and come home to the orphanage and do chores, eat more posho and beans and then go to bed. They do this all with a smile on their face. No complaining about the uniformity of the everyday. It has made me realize just how blessed I am to have been given so many options in life. Most of these children will never have the opportunity to decide if they like strawberry or grape jelly. They won’t be able to decide where they will go to college. They won’t ever be asked what they want to be when they grow up. They won’t even get to decide if they want to buy a green or blue pinstriped shirt. So, why am I telling you this? Not to make you feel sorry for the children here, but maybe as just a little reminder of just how lucky we are. So tomorrow, when you are torn between wearing your new tennis shoes or your sandals, pray to God and thank Him for giving you the opportunity to have these decisions in your life.