Before I left people would come say to me, "Cat, this will be a life changing experience." or "Your life will be completely different when you get." I even had one person say, "I hear these trips are life changing, why would you want to do that?" I didn't quite know how much this trip would change me, but but all of my senses have changed.
Since I've been home I've been struggling. Struggling with how life is in America. Of course the culture shock was extremely difficult to get over. Americans are never satisfied and ALWAYS want more. We're always looking for the next best thing and never seem to be happy. Where as Fijians don't have much. A 30'x30' home, steel walls, matted floors, and some rickety wooden doors. Not much for material possessions. The clothes they have they share. We had to be careful, because in their culture if you compliment something of theirs, they will give it to you. They didn't have much, but they would give you the shirt off their back. They didn't have much, but they had faith in God, and that is all they needed.
I admit that I lose sight of what's really important. In fact I felt guilty that I lived in a nice home and had my own car, a good job. God has been working on that side of my heart for awhile now and I realize that I don't need much. Enough to live and survive but those material possessions don't mean much when we're six feet under. What really matters is where and what we're putting or time and money into.
If we look at our checkbook and see where most of our money is spent, is it for God driven purposes or self driven purposes? Is most our time spent in the word or with friends, TV, or work? I was shown the truth this summer. Fiji put life into perspective.
Television/movies/media, friends, Internet, drugs/alcohol, celebrities, work, money, and love are just SOME of the idols of today. I didn't realize how prevalent all of these and more are in our society, and how much weight our society places on these fallacies. No wonder why people are blind to our God. No wonder why we can get pulled away from church, quiet times, witnessing, prayer, or God Himself. We are bombarded by false idols hourly and need to recognize them as that. Being away from all of that this summer and being thrown back into America, I got a FRESH perspective of how our world runs, and it's scary.
Where are you spending most of your time and money? If we love God why aren't we spending that time with Him, in prayer, in word, in conversation? The next time you have time to sit and watch TV, could you be using your time in a better way to honor God? When you reach for that People magazine, could you be reading something to honor God instead? When you're driving in your car, could you use that time to honor God?
When I went to blog tonight, I had something else in mind, but apparently God has His own motives. I admit that I have changed. Fiji has changed me. In one sense I have changed...For I once was blind, but now I see.
