As many of my friends know, water - something vital to life - is very close to my heart. My family has made it our mission to be involved in bringing water, in both it's physical and spiritual forms, to those who need it most. We have been involved with Living Water International for a few years now, and have been on 5 mission trips between us, with many more planned for the future. We give regularly to this ministry, and fully support the vision for providing the world's thirsty with water that will nourish the body and the soul. To say we are passionate about water would be a small understatement.
This week I began a program sponsored by LWI called Pray for Water, a 21-day prayer guide to pray for those who need water most, and for the issues that affect them. Today, Day 3, struck me in particular because it hit so close to home for me. Today, I prayed for the mothers and fathers of children born in communities with poor sanitation and a lack of clean water. They often hold off on naming their babies until they are 2 years old, because anonymous death hurts less. I have to tell you, it was difficult not to burst into tears.
When my children were born, we were surrounded by family and friends. We were in a modern hospital with full comfort amenities. There was no lack of medicine, care, or staff to ensure the health and safety of myself or my newly born child. Surrounded by high-tech equipment, computer monitors, and air-conditioned private rooms, I was blessed to be able to love my new babies without worrying about disease or illness in the water they drank or were bathed in. I didn't worry about malnourishment or water-born illness. I worried about what outfit to put them in for pictures. I worried about making sure I looked good for pictures. I worried about the nursing staff interrupting my afternoon nap. I worried that the cafeteria food would taste good. But at that same moment, a mother somewhere around the world was burying a baby she didn't name because he or she was exposed to pathogens that would take his or her young life. Recalling the memory of those early days in my baby's life suddenly seemed so insignificant in comparison.
I often feel a little guilty for being so blessed while others suffer so. But God has given me a new peace about this. He wants to bless me. He wants me to enjoy those sweet moments when a new child enters the earthly kingdom. He wants me to soak up the smell of that new baby shampoo, joy in the tender touch of the soft, supple skin, and snuggle up close to that precious angel He has blessed me with. But I also know that He wants me to remember how blessed I am, not take it for granted, be thankful for it, and try to bless those who don't have that. He isn't asking me to feel guilty, but He is asking me to be the change I want to see in the world. He's asking me to bless someone else. He's asking me to use the experiences and resources He's blessed me with to pass on to someone else.
I feel that this call will be through organizations like Living Water. But I am open to finding ways to bless others who truly thirst. If God calls me to another path, I pray He will open my eyes to it. I know that I can't change the world by myself, but He hasn't called me to change it all by myself - He's called me to be His hands and feet, He can handle the rest. And if I partner with someone else, the impact can only be greater.
While I pray for those families who are burdened with the loss of their children, I also pray that my friends and family would feel the call to their own hearts to give to the cause. None of us has ever experienced the kind of loss and pain that says it is better to bury a child you didn't ever even name. Give, and give generously, and I promise that you will be the change that you want to see in the world. God will use what you give, and He will bless you for it. I promise you that.
Please visit www.water.cc to find out how you can give, pray, and support the cause.
