I want... I need...

Last night, after 'Knee Drill', Tasha, Ian and I were talking about our lives here in London. Ian told us about the time, back in Vancouver, when he discovered a needle in the bushes near the childrens' playground. Obviously, that's a messed up dicovery to make, but Ian shared how he used the opportunity to show his children what a needle looks like and that if they ever saw one, they should never touch it.
Since moving downtown three months ago, Tasha and I have made some similar discoveries and I have to admit, sometimes it's often painful to witness.
Anyone who has ever participated in a '614 Ministry' or an 'Eden Project' or any one of a number of urban community church plants, will relate to the balance between "wants and needs" in this kind of ministry. Let me elaborate!
Do I want to live so close to the methadone clinic? Not really. Do I want to watch a lady collecting needles in a hazardous waste container from the bushes next to our parking lot? Nope. Do I want to step on a used condom outside the door to my home? No. Do I want to be woken in the middle of the night by the police wanting to come into the apartment to talk to one of our neighbours? No. Do I want to tell Tasha that I found ants in my cereal, after she's already eaten a bowlful? No (and again, I'm sorry!) Do I want to watch a group of guys follow a half-naked man, who is having a bad drug-trip, as he staggers through our parking lot? No. Do I want my child to grow up around drugs, needles, condoms, crime, insect infestations and police visits? Not at all!
But this isn't a pity party! God provides for my every need, not my every want! And I'm not left disappointed.
Do I need to live in dowtown London? Yes, I think I do. Do I need to witness the challenges facing residents of this neighbourhood, as a neighbour, rather than as an outsider? I believe so. Do I need to fight against injustices in this neighbourhood. Yes, I do. Do I need to proclaim God's amazing power over sin and addiction. Amen, yes! Do I need to grow in my faith? Absolutely. And am I growing in faith? Yes!!!

Praise God, who meets all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus!