Average

I like to think of myself as your less-emotional-than-average type of girl. And maybe I am, maybe I am not. I cry VERY rarely for movies. But I cry every single time I start reading the Compassion blog.

What is average anyway? I just googled the average world income. When I have jobs that include room and board, I actually make less than that. It is not a lot of money. But average does not necessarily mean it applies to many people. At $7K/year, one is in the top 7th. Nearly 6 billion people live off less than that. Six BILLION. After playing around with this calculator a bit, I found that their estimates put $850 a year as the median annual income. I no longer feel so average. Wow. I have so much less than my fellow Americans, yet I have more than over 80% of the world.

When I was in school, I consistently scored higher than the 90th percentile on standardised tests. I remember getting an 86th percentile once, and feeling terrible. Out of my entire class, I was often the top student. Well, for standardised tests. Not for grades. I could not imagine what it would be like to be scoring at the median. Average sounded like a terrible word to me. I get so much chaff for being a college dropout. But again, I have a terrific education in comparison to everyone else.

I realise I am so privileged. Not only did God give me great abilities when it came to penciling in bubbles but he has given me so much more in terms of money and 'stuff', than most people could even imagine.

I do not give $38 a month so that I can feel good about myself. I do not give $38 a month because I feel like I have money to burn. I do it because I am responsible to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And in doing so, I find that it does feel good. And I see just how much more I have than these children.

I am not your average girl. No, I am rich, and I am well-educated. And I am going to put that money and that information to good use.