Global Mindfulness for His Glory

Something sort of crazy and insidious has been happening in our household.  It seems as though we cannot get enough of learning about the world.  I am becoming obsessed with maps...and just images of the world in general.  Maybe it was the decorative pallet map I placed in our home when we moved in two years ago...

or the gloriously illustrated map book we purchased for our homeschool a few months ago.

Maybe it was the delicious flavors of the various single-origin coffee I was praying over by the mug full on cold winter mornings...

or the enjoyment I had exploring the Philippines on a recent mission trip, snorkeling in the Sulu Sea and tasting ube ice cream and luscious fresh mangoes.

I don't know, but all I do know is that we are falling more and more in love with the world as a family, as we see its beauty and its wonder and all the treasures it has through nature, culture, history, and the arts.

But I also want my children to know the heartache of the world--not by experience, mind you--but to be aware and compassionate and prayerful as they come to see the impact of the Fall on man and ALL of God's creation.  I want them to be aware that the vast majority of children on this planet do not live with the opportunities that they enjoy.  I want them to be mindful of all that they have, not to just be blessed, but to go on to be a blessing to others.

I feel as though my only exposure to the world and it's heartache came by way of Sally Struthers commercials on television when I was a child.  I had no concept that we could pray for and go and serve people around the globe.  Those images of bloated-bellied children, being bombarded by swarms of flies, did not impact the books I read, or the prayers I prayed, or the discussions I shared with my family around the dinner table.  I did not know where those children lived (and frankly, I didn't care!).  In fact, I couldn't even tell you much about Canadian geography, my neighbor to the north, much less about the countries across the globe!  

And I fear that my childhood experience was not unique.

It has come to astound me how little we, myself included, know about this planet that we call home.  Where (and what) are its seven highest summits?  What are the species of trees in my own backyard?  What is that bug that is crawling on the sidewalk at the park?  What do people in India eat for dinner (and what do they eat it on)?  Where do panda bears live?

Well, no more--not in my home.

I want my children to taste the flavors of various countries and learn about their traditions and customs.  

I want my children to be able to identify countries and topographical features all over the globe, and enjoy themselves as they trace countries out of atlases, maybe even being brave enough to pick up some colored pencils and give the globe a go with some free-hand drawing (psst...I want to do this myself, too! I have my own secret compact atlas and have been tracing various continents from its bright glossy pages, free from little hand smudges and tears, while the kids play outside!)

I want to share stories with my children from every continent, and experience the power of story as we peek into all sorts of nooks and crannies around the globe, vicariously experiencing its joys and sorrows, from the comfort of our living room.

And then, as they grow older, I want to be courageous enough to encourage them to venture out and be comfortable in the discomfort of traveling the globe and seeing, touching, tasting--not just as tourists--but also as humble servants of the gospel in countries near and far.  

I just stumbled upon a book that speaks to just.this.very.thing that was released in print TWO days ago!  It is called Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book at a Time and I cannot WAIT to scour its book lists and plan our own trip around the globe through story.  And, as you can peek inside this book online, you will find that the authors speaks to ALL of these things I've mentioned above and more--making our children aware of the world through how we decorate, what we talk about, and the things we eat and do--for the goal of raising, not "worldly" kids, as in a secular and therefore godless sense, but "globally minded" children, who are compassionate and eager to prayerfully work alongside the Lord in all His plans to heal and redeem the world that He created and loves so much.**

Will you join me, dear friend?

Will you seek to be intentional as you parent, instruct, and disciple your children, to know and learn and love the world more and more...for the glory of God?

Ohhh, I hope you that will!  And I suspect there is a small army of us out there!  Oh, and I would sooooo love to talk all about the things you and your kids learn and enjoy and discover over a hot mug of Kenyan brew sometime! :)

**If you want to hear more about the heart and mission of this book, enjoy this podcast discussion between Read Aloud Revival's host Sarah MacKenzie and the author Jamie Martin here.