You think you have it tough? I recently came across these figures on a site that encourages people to pray for various countries in the world. (Visit the site--it’s well worth the time.) All of us are aware of some of the injustice around the world, but these figures brought it home to me…
Picture the world as a village of 100 people.
- Six people (all U.S citizens) own 58% of the wealth
- 74 people own 39% of the wealth
- 20 people own the other 2% of the wealth. If you have a bank account (with any amount) you are among the richest 30 people
- 18 people struggle to live on $1 USD per day
- 53 people struggle to live on $2 USD per day
- 20 people are undernourished
- 15 are overweight
- One dies of starvation
- 20 people have no clean drinking water
- 56 people have no access to sanitation
- 80 live in substandard housing
- One person has AIDS
- One has a university degree
- Seven people have computers
- 67 are illiterate
- 48 people cannot speak freely of their religious faith
Of the 6.5 billion people in the world, 2 billion have never heard the Gospel.
In the light of this, how should we then live?
3 replies on “If the world were a village…”
Those numbers bring things home a bit!!!
“I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.” (Mother Theresa)
Forgive my borderline technical plagiarism, but Heidi Baker advises that Love has to “look like something.” We owe the world an encounter with Jesus (B Johnson). We do not ever feel bad about blessings the Lord has given, because these are tools for others and ourselves. We learn to be micro and macro. We allow the Holy Spirit to chisel us into Jesus more and more each day. We learn to dance with God (P Manwaring), so that we are in synch with his direction. And we love the hell out of everyone!
Bob, these are wonderful and insightful thoughts, especially when, as Heidi intimates, they have hands and feet. Our hands and feet.