we live in a broken world...
The following picture was a Pulitzer Prize winner taken in Sudan during the mid-90's by a photographer named Kevin Carter. During the famine, starving parents and children would make their way to food banks. This is a little girl he saw, crawling down the street toward the food bank...resting in weakness while a vulture waits in the wings for his next meal.
The photographer didn't even stay to help the child after taking the photo, and sadly committed suicide 3 months after winning the Pulitzer Prize due to depression and the haunting realization of the images he had captured thru his lens.
One doesn't have to look far to be overwhelmed with glimpses of reality in a world that is bleeding badly from wounds of sin. We can be shocked that Carter could see such suffering and walk away from it...but we do the same thing every day. The real tragedy is that we hold the only cure for a world broken in sin...
The photographer didn't even stay to help the child after taking the photo, and sadly committed suicide 3 months after winning the Pulitzer Prize due to depression and the haunting realization of the images he had captured thru his lens.
One doesn't have to look far to be overwhelmed with glimpses of reality in a world that is bleeding badly from wounds of sin. We can be shocked that Carter could see such suffering and walk away from it...but we do the same thing every day. The real tragedy is that we hold the only cure for a world broken in sin...
posted by The Bean Bag Chair at 9:58 AM
6 Comments:
I saw this picture for the first time in Ryan's office at Campus Crusade a few weeks ago. It broke my heart. I have never witnessed this kind of tragedy and poverty firsthand...but even the picture leaves me feeling numb. Let's not forget our brothers and sisters who are facing severe suffering...
the tradegy isnt' that we hold the cure...but that we don't push for the cure to be used.
Let me offer a different line of sight on this. While my heart breaks at the results of sin as well... Statistically, this young child has a greater chance of being with Jesus than our kids in Canada do.
While experiencing this first hand, at first there was the shock and awe of something different to my eyes... but as I spoke more with Missionary's who see the dead raised and entire villages come to Jesus... we (together) came to a number of conclusions that we didn't expect.
One day, a missionary said in response to my query about why God doesn't move in Canada like He does in Ghana..."People are hungry". I quickly realized that in Canada... people are hungry for nothing and desperate for nothing. We have EVERYTHING we need and don't hunger.
In Africa... there is actual physical hunger. It is NOT good... don't' get me wrong here. But that also creates a dependence on God for provision... and in one way or another, God ALWAYS provides, even if it means death (which is a GLORIOUS event to a Christian BTW). But the physical state of hunger also leads to spiritual desperation and dependence on God...
This creates a context where God is free to move and BOY DOES HE EVER. This to me is worth more than anything in this world.
Here's the other thing. African's are considerably happier than we are. This is not an over generalization and apply to those "World Vision" kids too... with the bowls of goo and the underwear in the streets.
I am continually amazed and somewhat appalled that the world looks at Africa as a place to be pitied... not valued for what it's learned about life. We DO have a responsibility to use our resource to alive the physical pain (felt needs) but it would pain me to actually have our pompous wishes come true and let African society become inbred with our skepticism, cynicalness, fear and lack of faith.
Ha...I guess I need to articulate my thoughts a little better! Thanx for sharing your thoughts! I wasn't necessarily reflecting on hunger or Africa - my thoughts were drifting to a more "spiritual" perspective...more on the state of mankind suffering the affects of sin (whether physical, emotional or spiritual) and how we respond to it. This picture and the story behind it was more representative of a thought than the famine in Sudan.
When I first red of Kevin Carter I was appalled that he didn't even help the child to the food bank...but I was quickly reminded I am just as bad if not worse. We as Christians hold the truth that will set this world free from brokenness...and yet we can be so hardened to even helping the weak and suffering towards it. We see the vulture waiting to devour - and yet we turn callously away.
This picture didn't represent physical hunger alone...but more powerfully a spiritul hunger that is a far greater need in our world today. I agree with Dave - this child more accurately portrays the state of North American society on a spiritual level. It's one thing to see a need in the world...it's another thing to meet that need. We are shocked at the physical hunger of this picture, but are we as concerned and moved for the spiritual hunger around us?
I just had a conversation with one of my friends who is a 'missionary' at the UBC campus. He said he is continually amazed by the spiritual hunger that people have here. He has been blown away by how 'eager' people are to hear the gospel and discuss 'religion'. We have an awesome opportunity right here in our own country too!! :)
WOW! that was really deep lol. I cannot believe how much that hit howe. I see sooooo many kids at school who are litterally dying of hunger for GOD. They have no idea what they are looking for, but they know that it is something more. I believe that the little girl in the picture represents those who do not know the LORD, or do, but have no way of getting the spiritual food that they need to survive. The Bible says that Man cannot live on bread and water alone, but also the teachings of the LORD. The Vulture represents satin, and how he is just sitting there, waiting for the little girl to give up, to stop fighting for food. Sometimes, in the end, the only thing that will save us, are those who can help us get to the food, and ulimately, God! <3 ya!
Post a Comment
<< Home