Hunger Games

I know, my posts seem to all be about books these days. But as I read I seem to see things from a different perspective than I ever have before. Now I read things through the eyes of a mother. The eyes of someone who longs for her children to grow up healthy and happy.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was an amazing story. Although it was intended for teenagers I very much enjoyed the plot of the book and look forward to reading the second book. But all the way through the book I continuously thought of how I would feel if one of my children was in the shoes of the main characters.

Let me give you a bit of background without giving away anything from the book. Basically the book revolves around a futuristic society in which all teenagers are required to enter their names in a lottery that would require them to be a participant in the Capitol's Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a combination of different ideas taken from history but basically the teenagers are thrown into a complex arena and forced to fight one another to death with very little supplies.

The entire time I was reading the book I kept thinking about how much my heart would break to see my own child suffer. To see either one of them not have adequate food to eat. To see them have to fend for themselves at such a young age. I would hate to see them turn to hatred in an effort simply to survive. To do anything to keep themselves afloat.

I would like to pretend that this is simply a world that Ms. Collins made up. But I know that isn't true. Yes, she came up with an original idea but that idea was spun from a variety of realities. Take the gladiators of ancient Rome, for example. While we think of it as entertainment, as did those in the audience, to the actual gladiators it was torture. It was a matter of life or death.

There are also a lot of people who's children are literally starving in this world. Mom's who are unable to provide even the most basic of necessities. There are children who are raising children because their parents died of one disease or another, most likely from AIDS.

It breaks my heart that this is going on in the world and that we live in a society that seems to forget it. We complain and say we are starving if we haven't eaten in 4-5 hours. If we go most of a day without food we act as if it is a major crisis. We say that we are dying of thirst if we haven't had something to drink in awhile. We complain if the public bathrooms are dirty when we are lucky that we even have bathrooms.

We are so spoiled! The list continues and continues on the ways that our country is spoiled. I'm not saying that we need to get rid of everything and live a life of poverty. I couldn't even do that. But I do think that it is important to remember how spoiled we are. To remember all of the benefits that are we given and take for granted.

My hope is that I can pass on an appreciation for everything that we have to my children. I hope to teach them to help those who are less fortunate, both down the street (so often we forget that there are extremely poor people in the United States as well), and in other parts of the world. May they never go hungry and know that this is a blessing. May they never go thirsty and know that they are lucky. May they appreciate the fact that they have parents, healthy parents (Lord willing), and many other family members and friends, who are there for them in all their needs. May they live a full and happy life, a life full of Christ. A life in which, whatever they do, they do whole-heartedly for the Lord.

That is my hope and prayer. May they never have to know a world like that in Hunger Games. I do not ask that they not have troubles. Troubles are important for growth. But I pray that they are troubles that can be overcome.

Ultimately none of it is in my hands. So I must let it go and just trust that God will watch over my children. I look forward to the journey and to seeing who my children blossom into.