If you have turned on a TV or radio at all this past week you have seen this young girl’s story. This particular interview from the Daily Show has been all over social media.  So briefly, just incase you missed it, Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani advocate for women’s rights and access to education was shot by the Taliban for her activism. In this particular interview she shares how she had decided that her response to the Taliban was going to be peaceful. She wasn’t going to repay violence with violence, and she hoped their children would also be able to get an education. 

This short interview gave me many things to reflect on, but what really struck me was all of the things in life I take for granted. I take education for granted. I take health care for granted. I take my house, food and my family for granted, and I could go on for a while. Malala is the most recent of many heroes across this globe, who Christian or not, live out scripture better than I do.  Everyday Christians are martyred, children are taken into slavery, and families live in fear and extreme poverty.  I can go days, even weeks, without being grateful for what I have.

I shared this story with my kids on the way to school. At 10 and 13, they couldn’t begin to relate to her story or my rant about the things we take for granted. I need to do a better job of living this scripture and teaching my children the value of this scripture. I’m not even sure how to start living this better. Could it be as simple as a reminder that pops up on my phone?