Let my heart be broken.....

I am often inspired by others and their service around the world. The largest group of givers I know are our Military and their families, giving of their lives and serving our country. Many service men and women while overseas witnesses the devastation and severe poverty of others around the world.

Not every person has a desire to serve others. They become self focused and sometimes fall into the victim role of 'I need more help than they do.' The extreme poverty around the world cannot be equated to the needs of most in the United States. Their poverty extends from wants into enormous need. Some people around the world live on less than $1 per day. They don't have access to health care even if they could pay for it. Their children are not able to go to school because of danger, distance or lack of funds. Many children walk hours each way to receive an education if they are able. Mothers are losing babies because of lack of medical professionals.

From World Health Organization (WHO), "Maternal mortality is unacceptably high. About 800 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications around the world every day. In 2013, 289 000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented."

It saddens me that most could have been prevented. I am encouraged that there is progress in helping these women in healthy pregnancies and births. Again from WHO, "Improving maternal health is 1 of the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the international community in 2000. Under MDG5, countries committed to reducing maternal mortality by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. Since 1990, maternal deaths worldwide have dropped by 45%."

I want to be a person of positive change! I want to help make improvements in the world. In the front of my Bible I have a slip of paper that I wrote on many years ago. It says, Lord let me know what you want to do for you today. I pray this everyday.

Have you asked the Lord what He wants you to do for Him today? Can you move out of self and into serving? What gifts do you have that you can use to help others? What can you do to help improve the world? Let me know how I can pray for you and the calling God has on your life!