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 SHARING CRACKERS by Ashton Reely In March of 2000, Dr. Jared Cox and his wife, Casey, traveled to Honduras to help fulfill the dental needs of the people they came in contact with. Cox said they would show up every day to find the people lined up. "Every day we would get there and there would be people who had been waiting for hours. You would just do first come, first serve and do the best you could." The dental process here in the states is often filled with talk of insurance, the best viable option and what one can afford. Over there, Cox said, it's quite simple: make them feel better. "In some ways, you felt like you were doing the best for those people, which is ironic because you're in a really rural, primitive setting. You didn't have to make decisions here, they make decisions based on what their insurance allows them to do and what they can afford to pay for but there, people just want to feel good. Even though it was really primitive, you felt like you were doing the most good because people felt good when it was over without the complication of decisions." Cox hopes to return someday, but said with two young sons it's hard to find the opportunity to leave the country. Mission work will definitely be a part of their future, though: "I have every intention for my kids to experience that and realize that we are very blessed." Recounting a story to illustrate his point, Cox said his wife gave this little Honduran boy a cracker to eat. He broke it in half and then in half again to share with his brothers and sisters; he took the smallest piece for himself. This story touched both of their hearts and led them to realize they wanted their own children to someday grasp the great importance of sharing what you have. Like with the others interviewed who had been on mission trips, the common theme of appreciation came through in Cox's personal story: "It's easy for us to think about how difficult it is for us here sometimes, but when you see someone having a complete different set of life issues and circumstances, it makes you re-evaluate your own." It is easy to get so caught up in our own daily lives that we forget to look out because of this, our perspective is limited and our worldview's growth is stunted. The cure? Global perspective, Cox said: "I think everyone should think with a global perspective rather than a local perspective. It's difficult, day in and day out, to think outside your community and outside yourself. There are certain aspects of life that you can't get an appreciation for until you've seen something new." Searcy is a great place to live, but I encourage you to broaden your horizons. It is only when we can look in, look out and look up simultaneously that the world will become a better place. Go Back to Contents Go to SearcyLiving.com |
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