A Day Without Shoes - Humble me

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good about myself. Here I was about to walk out into the cold, rainy, thundering day with no shoes on.

Here at southern today was "A Day Without Shoes." A act on the part of students all over campus to put aside their comfy shoes, boots, sandals and just have the experience that so many people around the world experience daily not having shoes to wear. Donations and support was given by many people and I was feeling pretty good that I could help support the cause. Here I was SACRIFICING my comfort of dry feet to head out into the rain without my shoes. I am making a difference right.....right?!

Then God decided to open my eyes and take that pride down a notch. I walked to convocation not thinking anything of the speaker or what I would be hearing today. I took some pictures of my friends and I with bare feet. We were all smiles like this was fun and new for us to be able to go without shoes for a whole day at school.
I found a seat with some of my girlfriends and got comfortable just to get another convo credit to my name.
But God was not finished with me yet....

The speaker got up and with a broken cambodian accent he began to speak. (Peter Pong) He seems extremely nervous and I was not sure how he would get through this talk he had prepared. He struggles to portray his introduction in incorrect english grammar. We all thought it was cute at first and giggled as he talked about himself. Then he got into his story,

As a child he survived the cambodian genocide. The murder, the blood the killing fields. I felt myself getting sick as I heard how the rebel army (Red scarves) killed and brutalized CHILDREN! Forcing them to carry weapons and take the front lines in battle against the Vietnamese. He was forced to watch it all. Not only to watch but to play the flute as they killed his friends. He was lucky enough to have a musical talent so they kept him alive so he could play for the rebel soldiers. However he was NOT exempt from the work (forcing 6-12yr olds to work from 5am - 12pm that night with almost no food) With tears running down his face he finished his life story. But It was more than the expereince he had. It was the things he said that caused me to hang my head in shame.

"I am not powerful because I have money in my pockets or many earthly things, but I am powerful because I am helping people. This is what makes me whole. To help people with all my heart makes me rich."
"We can have peace. Peace starts with me."
"You as Americans are seen as angels from the kids in Cambodia. Yet you are in worship of your malls. You move away from one mall and then next thing you find all the teens wandering a new mall. Reach outside your store walls, reach to others."
He grew up without parents, His life is filled with confusion, pain and suffering.
A big thing that hit me was when he said..."You have parents, for just that fact you should love them. I grew up without them. So many americans treat their parents like s*** (he didn't know that that was a bad word. Again he was brutally INNOCENTLY honest) BUT just in the fact you HAVE parents you are blessed!!"
WE are so blessed, us american angels to them.

There I sat. So inspired yet so humbled. Here is a man who gave all he had. I could tell his heart was laid out for us all out to see this morning. He may have not been the most eloquent speaker, with proper english or comfy terms. He was brutally innocently honest.

I thought that by my act of just not wearing shoes I was somehow changing the world. There is so much we can do for others. I'm not bashing the fact that today was not of use. It was an awesome opportunity to help and support an AMAZING cause. I just need to realize I am so blessed and there's always more I can do. Let's just say it was an inspiration. I hope it has inspired you too. You are SO blessed!! God daily opens my eyes.

He finished by playing his flute. I closed my eyes and listened. Imagining a little boy standing in the midst of dead bodies allowed to live through his music. I then looked into his soft face. Tears still staining his cheeks. How can I help him I thought? How can I, a lowly human, help the thousands of people suffering? Standing the student audience gave him an honorable standing ovation. I've stood for standing ovations before but it has never really been from my heart. I sprang to my feet instantly. He had changed me. God had changed me. Looking down at my barefeet I didn't see them as a huge sacrifice to me but a small contribution in a bigger picture. Help us Lord. We need you here. How can we help? We can. Christ can.

(He has an organization called cambodian live arts to help those masters from the genocide who were still living. He is passing down the culture lost in the genocide to the younger generation. ) He's just a man. I'm just a Southern student but he's reached out to those around him. Hes striving to help. Now how can I?

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.