Things I Could Live Without

I was watching Oprah yesterday, and she did a show on living without what we consider basic parts of our everyday life, for seven days. She challenged families to go without their televisions, video games, computers and cell phones for seven days and see how they faired. I started to think how impossible it would be to live without my phone and laptop for one day, let alone seven days. How could anyone be expected to go without these necessities for a whole week?! I use my cell phone as my only source of communication outside of home and am on the computer several times a day. And then my thought process went farther. I thought deeper about things I couldn’t live without, or better yet, things I could live without.

I could live without wondering where the money is going to come from for my basic bills, where I’m going to get the funds to pay for groceries, gas, and clothes for my ever growing children. While the price of everything rises, my check stays the same. I could live without type I diabetes, which both my husband and little sister have, and the several insulin injections they have to take daily until there is a cure. As a matter of fact, I could deal without anybody suffering from any disease at all. I could live without war and violence amongst brothering tribes and countries and the “war” we have daily in our own country amongst our neighbors. The racism, sexism and just pure hatred of our fellow man. I could live without the water and food shortages all over the world including right here in our own communities. I could live without the human slave trade where not only adults, but children are being sold as sex slaves. There are a lot of things I could live without, but it basically boils down to this: I could live without famine, war, disease, depression, loneliness and heartache for not only me, but human kind all over the world. If giving up my cell phone or computer for just one week, or even for the rest of my life, would end all of these things, I would do it. But I know it won’t, so the only solution I have to start this process is to pray. Pray unceasingly, every day for God to intervene and bless our world. From there, each of us has to make a decision as to what we are willing to give up to help ourselves and each other, because that is all we have.