By WALTER ALBRITTON
RELIGION —
A friend asked me if I had travel plans for the summer. I laughed and said, “Yes, I’m planning to drive over to Dollar General, the one that’s a half-mile from my house.” I explained that in this late season of my life, traveling is not on my schedule.
I have traveled a lot so now I can enjoy memories of places I have visited — like Monterrey, Mexico. Ten years ago, my wife Dean and I made that trip together as members of a team led by our friend Larry Cochran. Larry is retired now, but for many years he directed the work of a missions organization called Go International. Larry and his teammates had one goal: send teams to help poor and starving people anywhere in the world who were not being reached by other outreach ministries.
In Monterrey we visited “churches” that were mostly shacks, built to reach starving children who regularly pawed over garbage dumps scavenging for food. We met pastors with little education who were glad to receive help but also eager to improve their skills in reaching their own people with the good news of the gospel. Our hosts were Ignacio and Sarah, a pastor and his wife who were leading a team of 45 young pastors serving Christ among thousands of poverty-stricken people in that city with a population exceeding a million.
Ignacio and Sarah had very little, but our hearts were touched by the generous way they shared what they had with us. One night, in a team meeting, Larry shared with us some information that made us keenly aware of how blessed most of us Americans are. It was a jolting moment of truth as Larry said, “You are blessed if….
“If you own just one Bible, you are abundantly blessed. One-third of the world does not have access to even one Bible.
“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
“If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people around the world.
“If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are more blessed than almost 3 billion people in the world.
“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.
“If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the 8% of the world’s wealthy.
“If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
“If you hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch.
“If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you believe in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer.
“If you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, you are part of a small minority in the world.
“If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who cannot read anything at all.”
Now, if reading the above has caused you to feel blessed, you could express your gratitude by sending a check for missions to your church or to an agency like Mercy House in Montgomery, which provides 2,000 meals a week to the poor. That’s where I sent my check because I realized I am a blessed man, and able to help somebody today, along life’s way. How blessed are you?