Compassion: 30 Days of HeartworkSample

Hope to One

HEART //

Can we really make a difference in the orphan crisis? Can we really decrease the stranglehold of poverty? Can we really offer hope to the refugee? Can we save a whole generation from the destructive road of self-focus? These are the questions that pop into our minds when Christ teaches us to love the poor and the lost. We often get caught up in the overwhelming statistics and end up feeling like we cannot possibly make a difference. 

In Mark 5, Jesus made a difference in the lives of two different individuals. In the midst of a huge crowd, He reached out and healed two people, changing their lives forever. He could have been concerned with reaching the whole crowd or been overwhelmed by the busyness of His ministry, but He chose to focus on just two people in need and gave them hope. Throughout His lifetime, Jesus was focused on the individual. He healed the blind and paralyzed, took time to be with children and freed the demon-possessed.

We can make a difference in the lives of others ... one life at a time. God may not call you as a family to end the AIDS epidemic or provide food to every person on the planet, but He has given us the resources to bring His healing and hope to many individuals. 

WORK //  

When we are able to see past the problems that impoverished children face and instead see the people they are and the potential they have, we will be moved to do whatever we can to help empower them ... one life at a time. Take some time to list out a few individuals in your life whom you may think of as having “big problems” and then make a list of the beautiful strengths that God has given them. Think about the ways you have seen their faith, joy or resilience shine, even in the midst of hardship. 

Remember that for every person in the world who faces tragedy, hunger, injustice or destruction, there is a story. There is an opportunity for light to rise in that darkness. There is hope, and you are called to receive that hope in your own life and to bring that hope to others.