Because April 25th is World Malaria Day:

It costs about $20 to provide a family with a malaria prevention kit (bed nets and education on the disease) through various organizations.

You can look at more facts and a map at http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/worldmalariaday/

Why should we try to prevent this disease? Well, firstly, it would really not be fun to catch. I knew a person who had it and barely survived. It really sounded like it sucks. So, if I was at risk for Malaria and couldn’t afford something basic to help prevent it, I would really appreciate a rich American (yes, you live off of more than one dollar, two dollars, five dollars, or one hundred dollars a day . . . you are rich) sharing a little of what they have to help save my life. Do to others as you’d have them do unto you, right?

But really, although I often am disgusted by myself, a rich American, I think we have a better reason to help someone than just for the sake of helping them. As a follower of Jesus, I represent Him on earth. He didn’t command much (love God and others). Yet one of those two things is to love people. Although I believe the greatest needs people have are spiritual, their physical and emotional needs are right in front of them. These “felt” needs totally feel more important than our spiritual needs. After all, a felt need like having to go pee sure is more pressing than meditating. Sometimes helping people meet these felt needs helps them be open to meeting their spiritual needs. I think Jesus understood this, going out of His way to be an example of loving people by meeting their these needs.

Therefore, I should do what I can to help people know they are loved by God by acting on His behalf to feed, cloth, and comfort others. Especially when its in my means, I really don’t have an excuse to not help others. I can lower my standard of life a little, right? Fewer Coldstone ice creams, I don’t need those curtains, or that new HD TV. All the stuff I think will make me happy at the moment. These things don’t satisfy like seeing someone else smile because they now have a chance to live.

What I wrote is generic. It applies to any do-gooder thing. But that doesn’t make it any less true. It seems that love often requires sacrifice. Even if your only sacrifice is giving something you don’t typically give attention to, attention.

Today, what is one simple thing you can do to help ease the pain Malaria effects on the world? Look for a petition to sign? Sell something on craig’s list and donate that money? Post something on your blog or facebook about Malaria? Just learn something yourself about it? How can you love others in the context of Malaria? I don’t want you to tell me what you did. I want you to tell me what it feels like after you do it. Are you indifferent? Are you curious if you made a difference? Are you satisfied? Why is making a little dent is better than making no dent?