Vlady Fresh

Last Thursday our family went to Phnom Penh for a well-baby check up, team meeting, and our monthly fix of Indian food.

While waiting in the clinic I picked up a copy of Newsweek and, to my surprise and delight, saw that it was (relatively) current! The cover was entitled “Luxury Goes Undercover: the best things in life aren’t necessarily flashy objects but discreet, meaningful experiences.” I was intrigued, so I turned to the article and began reading. Almost immediately I felt something strange inside of me. Not being very self-aware, I thought it was anxiety regarding Cassia’s imminent vaccinations. As I continued to read, the feeling became stronger and stronger until I could mistake it no longer. It was anger and it was quickly morphing into rage. Reading about $20,000 dresses and other excesses infuriated me. Upon reading that the nouveau rich were creating numerous new foundations, I thought I had found redemption. Sadly, it turns out they are often “namesake” foundations that inflate already engorged egos.

I became intensely frustrated because I couldn’t think of a proper response. For no logical reason, my first thought was to rip my shirt, shave my head, and pray with my face against the ground. My second thought was to jump up on a chair and shout “Judgment is coming for all those who live in extravagance at the expense of the poor!” Fortunately or unfortunately, we were in a clinic in Cambodia, so these were not the people who needed to hear the message. I then wanted the Khmer to jump to their feet and cry out for justice because the Bible is clear that the Lord hears the cries of the poor. Of course, they don’t normally do this and they didn’t on that day. This is in no small part due to a perverse world-view that tells the Khmer that some people are destined to be poor and oppressed. This only added to my frustration.

I felt like a messenger without a medium or an audience. As I sat there stewing, I began reflecting, “Forget the medium and the audience, what’s the message?” Instantly a scripture came to mind, repeatedly, with increasing intensity until I felt that it would spontaneously burst forth from me. With each repetition the emphasis was on different words so that the entire phrase revealed itself pregnant with meaning, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it! The earth is LORD’s and everything in it! The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it! The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it!”

This verse, along with the accompanying rage, became my constant companions. Thankfully, on Saturday I picked up a copy of the Cambodia Daily, which lifts articles from various papers around the world. I came across an article entitled “Giving Till it Hurts” from the Wall Street Journal. The article highlighted the increasing trend in sacrificial giving to various charities in the US. I was amazed and moved. Reading that article was like therapy. Finally, after 2 days, my anger was assuaged.