First Lady Michelle Obama has unveiled a nationwide campaign to combat obesity. Over the past three
decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled; nearly one-third of children in America
are now overweight or obese. Mrs. Obama has made this one of her main causes and
wants to put the country on track to solve this problem in a generation.
I have no problem with Mrs. Obama’s plan. I want children in our country to be healthy. I want my kids to be healthy. I do, however, have a problem with the fact that nearly 1/3 of American children are overweight or obese when an estimated 16,000 children DIE every day from hunger-related causes. Sixteen. Thousand. That’s one every five seconds. I know there are all kinds of factors contributing to childhood obesity in our country, and I am certainly not saying that I’ve got a solution for either problem. It’s just something I find myself thinking about often. Especially when I read about Dorchelle and Raymond and Gedeon and Darlens. Do you know what Kwashiorkor is? Have you ever heard of Marasmus? I didn’t know what they were either until recently. But I do now. And my heart breaks for people who live in the reality of these terrible diseases. We are blessed in America. We also have a responsibility to use our resources wisely. If you’re a Christian, you are called to care and act. I can’t solve the world’s hunger problem. But I will CHOOSE to live my life with hungry people in mind. I will CHOOSE to love them and show my love for them through my actions. I will CHOOSE to remember than I am RICH and that I have so much to give. Just some food for thought (pun intended) . . .
1 comment