Compassion: 30 Days of HeartworkSample

 Spend Yourself

 HEART //

According to Isaiah 58:10, if you will SPEND YOURSELF, hope will become available for others and hope will fill you. By advocating for children in poverty, you have already begun answering this call. You have “spent yourself” to bring hope and light into some of the darkest places. … And the miracle of God’s nature is that as we bring hope and light to others, we experience that goodness in our own lives too! We are about to embark on a journey together, right in the middle of our everyday lives, to learn to experience this promise in Isaiah 58, written centuries ago. By making the decision to participate in Compassion: 30 Days of Heartwork, you are joining a community who believe that self-focus, which is so common in our generation, leads to darkness rather than fulfillment. We know how easy it is to seek fulfillment in acceptance, success, entertainment and a desire to have the newest and best stuff — but we also know a quest focused on “self” will never satisfy the longing deep within our hearts to experience the fullness of what God wants to do in and through us. 

There is more to life as a Christ-follower than our self-focus. Learning to spend ourselves, not just our money, is part of the answer. The reality of the Gospels (Luke 4:13-18, Matthew 25:40) is that Jesus cared a whole lot about the “poor,” “prisoners,” and “oppressed.” We live in a culture that tells us to “climb higher,” and while we do, we tend to isolate ourselves from the weak and vulnerable. During these 30 days, as we give God room to grow our empathy and gratitude, we will see there are people in the world who need us to care about them more than we care about our own comfort. And just as importantly, we will see some areas in our own lives that need rescuing as well.

When we begin to invest the resources of our lives (time, creativity, community and funds) into others the way God has invested Himself for us, God’s powerful light begins to shine through us! Sometimes His light shines into the darkest places of our hearts that we’d rather keep hidden. But He does that to bring us freedom and use us in the mighty ways He has planned.

During these 30 days together, we will spend time on four big ideas — Letting Go, Identity, Compassion, and Mission — that will help us understand how we can “spend ourselves” well. We will also be challenged to take on several simple activities that may be outside of our normal routine. These challenges are designed to help us try to imagine and even feel the issues that children and families in poverty might be experiencing.

This is a short but sweet journey, and we are excited to walk it with you. You might be asking yourself, can living differently for just 30 days really make a shift that could affect the rest of my life? Is it really possible to love others as I love myself (Mark 12:31)? Another good question to start your journey is, what would my story look like if I wasn’t fearful or selfish? These are important questions, and you will discover some answers over these coming weeks!

As you hear the “Heart” and do some of the “Work” of Heartwork over the next month, may your prayers be deep, your heart be open, and may you discover just how bright your light can shine, even in the darkest places. 

WORK //

Ask God to show you some areas of your life that are in need of His light. Dedicate a journal or some creative space to these 30 days. Write your list down! Spend at least five minutes in focused prayer for your sponsored child and for people in your neighborhood, school or around the world who may be hungry (literally or figuratively) or oppressed. This journey of spending yourself will start this month, but our prayer is that it will last a lifetime. God will be teaching you new things and challenging you in different ways in every season of life. But right here, right now, you’re starting something. We’re proud of you. It won’t always be easy ... but it will be good. 

As you begin this journey, watch as this couple realizes the impact of the personal sacrifices they made to sponsor Violet. Her life was changed by their actions, but their lives will never be the same either.