Raise your hand if you consider yourself a busy person. Yep, so am I. Now raise your hand if you seem to have 99+ problems that just need to go away. Yeah, I thought so. Now (be honest) raise your hand if you stopped being busy for just a few seconds today and thought about helping someone out in some small way. A little less confident about this one? Now think about just one single time today you completely halted your mess of a schedule and took the time to take action to do some sort of helpful deed.
This reality is the point that the Operation Christmas Child box brings to the table; we need to look up and realize the impact we can have in someone's life.Operation Christmas Child is a project done by Samaritan's Purse, which is a Christian organization focused on reaching out to hurting people around the world. The Christmas boxes are given to churches all around the United States, where the members fill the boxes with items such as school supplies, candy, toys, hygiene necessities, etc. The boxes are then collected and distributed in developing communities around the world.
The foundation of this distribution is, in fact, Christian and mission-centered, but the argument made by the box is not limited to a spiritual viewpoint. The boxes are sometimes the only presents a child will get in their lifetime, and make a difference in their education, health, as well as their safety in some cases.
Some tips found in the instructions:
"A stuffed animal/doll is a deterrent against human traffickers (as they use such toys as lures)."
"a stocking cap serves as a pillow, a washcloth used as a bath towel (for several people), a plastic cup or water bottle may be the only cup of fresh water the child will get to drink in a day as they need a vessel to bring back purified water from the purification station."
"Erasers are highly recommended as they will erase their paper several times over until it is paper thin."
It's mind-blowing to think that a simple beanie baby or water bottle may just save the life of a child on the other side of the world. On a more personal level, when shopping for the objects to go inside this box, I was once again struck by the reality of just how blessed I am and how much I take for granted on a daily basis. This realization is also imbedded in the argument presented by the box, as it makes people in our privileged society take a moment and look at the suffering world around them.
Ok, let's be realistic for a moment. Will this stuffed animal I'm sending to a child truly change their entire life? Maybe not. Will this eraser really change a child's whole education experience? Not necessarily. Even looking at us, will everyone doing this project be struck by their privilege and be thankful? Probably not.
But are there lives that will be changed? Definitely.
The point is that we have the potential to make a difference with something as simple as a box. A box that is so ordinary it is considered trash in most homes in America.
When we take a moment to look outside of the physical box in front of us and see the world, it can change not only our lives, but the lives of people around us.
