Epiphanies and Planting Seeds

I am so selfish. I am so selfish. I am so selfish.

Those are the words going through my mind right now, over and over and over again.

The church I belong to, River Pointe Church, has been raising money and doing a lot of good work for communities in Uganda, specifically for Rushere. This evening they showed a documentary they filmed while there called Uganda Man. I won't spend time trying to summarize it for you because I can't do the people in the film justice, but I strongly encourage you to watch the trailer below and watch the movie if you have the chance! I have a copy of it and if you'd like to borrow it or watch it with me, please let me know! It has had a huge impact on my life and I believe it could have one on yours as well.

[[Click HERE to learn more about Friends of Uganda]]

After watching this movie a lot of things in my life seem frivolous and even ridiculous. From where I'm sitting I can see a brand new bedspread that I payed almost $200 for, a pair of jeans that were probably $80, a bookshelf stacked with books, cases of DVDs, pictures, art, furniture, a flat screen television... the list goes on and on. And the thing I realize while looking at all of this crap is that none of it means anything. I've somehow bought into this world where material things, things I don't need, have taken over my life. I spend more money on these unimportant things than some people could even imagine having.

The people in Uganda Man, as well as millions, maybe billions, of other people around the world spend most of their day searching for water, walking for miles on foot. Is anything in my room worth walking miles for? Not really. Is any of it going to help me grow in my Faith? Certainly not.

We are so privileged. There are people around the world, people in Uganda, who can't go to school (assuming there is even one available to them) because they have to spend their time looking for water to survive. There are kids all over the United States who detest being forced to go to school. What they don't realize is that education is the reason they aren't living in poverty right now. Because our fathers before us learned that education is the key to surviving and eventually thriving. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), most children in American aren't raised to think that way. Most of them don't see what goes on in other parts of the world, and sometimes even in our own backyards. That's why we have to teach them. Or at the very least help them to understand that their education is absolutely vital to their lives.

Until this evening I have been on the fence about my education major. I am constantly going back and forth about whether or not being a teacher is the right career choice for me. During the movie I had quite a clear realization. This is what God wants me to do. I believe that He has used this movie, and really River Pointe Church, to send me that message. Teaching is exactly where I need to be. Though I may not be able to instill the importance of education into the head of every elementary school child that I will teach in my lifetime, I can certainly push them in the right direction and hopefully one day they'll get it. If I can plant the seed of knowledge into a few growing minds, I will have accomplished a lot in the way of the world's future. I don't think I have ever felt so certain of anything in my life. It brings tears to my eyes.

Be thankful for what you have... material and otherwise. There are so, so many people who have far less.

I don't think I have been able to adequately share all of my thoughts on this matter and I may write a follow up post later. I was also incredibly inspired by their true FAITH in God, despite all of the poor conditions around them, but this post is already quite long.

Uganda Man has given me a lot to think about.