Reflecting

My wonderful hubby took the kids fishing tonight! And I was excited to have some me time. I put on Bridget Jones- The Edge of Reason, and was really enjoying a classic chic movie. Then I got to the part where she is in the jail and all of the women are talking about how they were abused and forced to do drugs. And I had one of those moments of reflection when I least expected it. I actually had tears in my eyes. Now, I know that it is just a movie, but I also know that those things happen to women every day in this world, every day here where I live. And it broke my heart. It made me think, how much do I try and help others and truly make a difference in someone's life? Or do I just go through life, only worried about me, because I can't see anything outside of my own private world? It is so easy to push aside and ignore the things in this world that are horrible. Things that we would rather not ever think about, things that we don't ever want to deal with. I experienced this when I was in Uganda this past year. The poverty there, and what these families went through. We know that it is bad, because we are told that by various factions of our media and government, but I never really realized it until I went there. Someone said to me, you aren't going to make a difference. There is just too much poverty, too much hate, too many people. But yet, everytime we are willing to risk our own comfort and reach out to someone, it makes a difference in that life. What if we reached out more? What would happen if people in this world cared more for others than just themselves? We met an amazing woman who was an orphan. She felt that her life was worthless and fashioned ropes and other items to kill herself. I don't know the reason but she stopped and talked with a Pastor. Their conversation changed her life. She gave him all of her suicide items, and she entered his orphanage. That woman is now grown up, married with 3 beautiful children, and a Pastor herself. What if that Pastor hadn't taken the time to talk to her? What if he had a meeting somewhere else, or his kids had been trying to get his attention and he just felt too overwhelmed at that moment to talk to her? He had no idea what she was going to tell him when she asked to speak to him. And yet, because of his willingness, her life was forever changed. Am I too unwilling to slow down and help when I can? Am I too caught up in my life always running from thing to thing? What missed opportunities has there been in my life because I can't see beyond my front step? I may not be able to change the world, a country, or even my town. But I do want to be a woman who is willing to give of herself to others, even when I feel that it might inconvenience me. I believe that this world is changed by individual people willing to help. They might just be one, but many ones create a movement.