Through the Wormhole

One of my sons loves to read and write science fiction.   His recent masterpiece covers space travel and wormholes.    For those, like me, who thought that wormholes were those little dirt tunnels dug by slimy friends, let me help.     What is a wormhole?

Wormhole:  a theoretical passage through space and time that could create shortcuts for long journeys across the universe.

Hmmmm...  don't see myself traveling across the universe any time soon, but the definition does connect me to the absolute distance felt between my life on the edge of Honduras and my life in the US of A.      While I officially 'live' in Honduras, my USA life continues without my physical presence.   My parents go about their daily business, my sister's life changes, my nephew grows more and more mature,  my friends experience adventures and heartaches.  

As I sit at my desk in Honduras, I feel completely removed from my US life.   In fact, there are times where I feel like the US of A is all somewhere in my imagination.   Does that side really exist?   When I watch cable news, doubt is confirmed - the USA truly is 'out there.'  :)

Recently, I arrived in USA for a family member's surgery.    It is so easy to become lost in the comfort of everything, the easiness.  Refrigeration, cleanliness, hot water, food at my fingertips, fast internet.   My thoughts attempted to turn to my Honduran life...  for some reason, Honduras took so very long to come into focus.    Is there really a school called IVA in that dusty place?   Is school really happening at this very minute as I sit in an air-conditioned hospital that serves lobster to patients?   Or, is La Mosquitia in another realm on the other side of the wormhole?

Maybe I sound half-baked or crazy here...  or maybe this really is a reflection of just why it is so hard to truly take care of our neighbors around the globe.    Because most of us will never travel outside of our world, we feel our neighbors are so far away that they really don't need us.    We remain cynical and doubtful about the work that is happening overseas because we only see pictures and brief videos.  

The other side of the wormhole has beauty, it is a bit mysterious and detached, but it is valuable.   Lord, give me profundity of vision and awareness to be fully present in one and fully cognizant of the life on the other side.    May we never grow tired of attempting to connect these two worlds... it is our global, Biblical responsibility.