On Friday I was teaching seminary and we were discussing some of the things we are grateful for. One student mentioned he'd been to India lately and only the very rich have shoes. Another said they were grateful for warm water that came out of the tap and didn't have to be boiled to heat it.
I just finished reading "I am Nujood - Age 10 and Divorced" about a girl from Yemen who was married off against her will at age 10. She suffered abuse before running away to a judge to request a divorce.
This didn't happen in the dark ages but a couple years ago. Further, child brides are not uncommon in Yemen and surrounding countries. There is even a saying, "If you want to marry happy, wed a 9-year-old."
Sick and wrong and very, very sad.
Can I just say I am so grateful to have been born in a country where I was not married off at an extremely young age? Heck, for that matter, I am grateful I was not "married off" at all - I got to pick my spouse.
Sometimes it is just so easy to take too much for granted - multiple pairs of shoes, warm water, non-arranged marriages as a child, and the list goes on and on. What are you grateful for today?
3 weeks ago
A lady gave a really powerful talk in church today where she shared her experience trying to adopt and having the baby taken from her. It made me so grateful that I have been blessed with two amazing children/
ReplyDelete