God Made Work, Work Don't Hurt :)

Although it's been a lazy morning, the boys and I have finally eaten brunch, cleaned up and moved on with the day.  I love summer!  Slow mornings with coffee and a book are a blessing.

   

But I can tell you that by the end of the summer I will be more than ready for some structure.  I love rest, but there's a part of me that also loves a schedule and a to-do list. 

Thinking about our God reveals that work is part of His nature and therefore part of ours as His image bearers.  He's put a longing in each of us for the purpose and significance that comes from meaningful work.

I'm still reading The Hole in Our Gospel and processing the complicated nature of poverty.  One of tragedies of poverty is that there is often a lack of societal structure to even generate and support significant work. 

One of the things that I particularly love about India is the industriousness and ingenuity of the people there.  Kolkata is a city of 13 million people.  Can you even imagine?  In the rush and hussel and bussel, the streets are lined with small businesses of every kind.  This little shop in on the street across from Agape school is just one example.

You can also see people with grills and restaurants set up on the sidewalk.  Food carts and rickshaws fill the streets.  People are working to find and make work of every description.  India may be a poorsociety, but the unfair stereo-type of laziness as the root of poverty is shattered here. 

I love the idea of helping to alleviate poverty through helping people with a desire to work.  There are a couple of fairly new ways to give in this way:  fair trade businesses and micro-loans.  I'll talk about both in the next few weeks, but I'll start with fair trade this week.

Today I'd love to share about the Story Company, a fair trade company that sells beautiful goods online.  This video tells the story best, but make sure to check out the whole website by clicking here and reading this blog post.

Action Item for the Broken-Hearted:

I'm going to plan ahead for birthdays and Christmas to try to give as many fair-trade items this year as possible as gifts.  I think my family and friends will love these beautiful international gifts!