Really Meaning What I Say

So I was reading the Interview with Shane Claiborne by Sara Barton on the New Wineskins website, and I was just struck by the authenticity of Shane. He truly lets the Gospel soak into and pour out of every area of his life. Shane has written this new book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, and he helped start a counter-cultural Christian community in Philadelphia called The Simple Way.

In this interview, it comes out that Shane makes and wears his own clothing because he doesn't want to support in any way the sweatshops and horrible living conditions of those who have to work in the sweatshops. I began to think about this and what this would mean in my own life. I also started thinking about the ordinary...the things in life that I take for granted and the invisible people that make those things possible for me to have. This challenged me to think about the food I eat, and the people that prepare it...

You know how we always pray before a meal, "God bless the hands that prepared it," or something to that effect? I have always interpreted this to be a blessing toward the one in the house that just cooked the meal, usually various family members or friends. But, what if we actually were praying this as a blessing to those who don't ever get any recognition for their part in our diet? What if we prayed blessings over the millions of factory workers, farmers, cooks, and servers who poured their sweat, time and energy into giving us our food products? If we believed that God would actually bless them, then would something change? Would God bless farmers with crops that were in so much abundance that "world hunger" would be a thing of the past? Could conditions for factory workers change to the point that it would noticeably change the fabric of our society in positive, measurable ways? Would the single mom who prepares and serves my food at the local eatery finally be able to begin paying her bills on time and saving money to retire on?

Who knows what God will do? I pray that radical change takes place...change that first becomes irresistible to those who are Christ-followers, and then to the rest of our society.