I've been back from Malawi for a month now. My head and heart are still full from the experience. I believe everyone needs to spend some time in the third world in order to bring perspective to our lives in America. I know I need to be in that world once a year or so. Living in prosperous North Texas in one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, I need to experience life in a place like Africa to help me find freedom from selfishness and the grip of materialism. Annual household income in Malawi runs around $200 per year. The people were doing well for the most part because of good rains. Most survive by subsistence farming. A drought or one failed crop and the people would be in trouble in a hurry.
While in Malawi, I met someone who showed me this bill from Zimbabwe. The currency is severely inflated and the economy troubled. He gave me a $1 million bill to carry with me. It's just a reminder of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:20-21, NIV). Be sure and focus some time today on what is really important and let go of something that isn't.
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