30 Days of Heartworkنموونە

Love As Brothers

HEART //

If you could travel to the mountains of Guatemala today, you would find many beautiful cities and many communities living in extremely difficult conditions. Often, the local trash dump is also a neighborhood covered in hand-built shelters that families have constructed so that they can be the first to grab whatever the dump trucks drop off onto the pile of trash. The lack of resources that drives these families to make a home for their children in such conditions is devastating. They don’t have access to clean water, and they live each day without knowing where their next meal will come from. Disease is rampant in the community, and paying for health care is not an option. The effects of poverty make it very difficult for the adults to work jobs or for the children to attend any schooling. This creates a cycle of poverty within families that is very difficult to break, which leads to feelings of hopelessness and despair.

The Bible reminds us to remember those who are hurting as if we were the ones suffering. When preaching on the subject of compassion and in reference to the story of the good Samaritan, Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’ "

Try to imagine what it would be like if you were born into a family that struggled the way that people do in the trash dumps in Guatemala. Now, imagine if someone loved you enough that they made personal sacrifices in order to take care of you and your family’s needs. Think of how your life would change if you heard of the love and hope in Jesus!

There are so many organizations in the world today doing good work in the most impoverished regions of Guatemala and in similar communities all over the world. We encourage you to find them, learn their needs, and connect however you can. There are also people in our own schools and cities who need a word of encouragement, a meal, or a listening ear today. May we show true compassion and use the gifts, talents, and resources that God has given each of us to care for those who are suffering. Let us be people that love like Jesus does and refuse to ignore our brothers and sisters who are in need.

WORK //

There are an estimated 153 million orphans worldwide. That’s more than twice the population of minors (children 0-17 years old) in the United States. 1.4 billion people in the developing world live on less than $1.25 per day. Every year, approximately 1.8 million children die as a result of diseases from unclean water and poor sanitation… that’s five THOUSAND deaths each day.* As Christians, these facts should move us to compassion and loving action. Do a little research today to find out who the most underserved people in your city are. Where do they live? How do they survive? Who is reaching out to them? Pray for the people and organizations in your city that are doing their part to reach out to the poor.

*Statistics from www.compassion.com and www.worldorphans.org