"Poverty is not necessarily an issue to solve; it is an opportunity to serve. As we go through each day, our heart's cry should be, Lord, where would you have me give, serve, and invest myself to bring hope to the poor?"It wasn't always easy for me to understand this.
~Orphan Justice author, Johnny Carr
Poverty has always felt so big -
What could I ever do about it?
Then I began to read blogs,
People who went to some of the poorest areas of the world,
Met some of the poorest people -
And with all those faces?
Poverty started to seem less like a big issue
And more like individuals -
Individuals who desperately needed hope.
God began to show me that it wasn't about the big issue,
But the individual person.
He began to put child sponsorship on my heart.
When I finally decided to sponsor a child through Compassion, -
Began to write letters,
Build a relationship -
I saw that this was an opportunity for me to serve.
I wasn't going to solve the issue of poverty,
Not even for one person,
But I could serve
And I could offer hope
And I could make a difference.
The really funny thing, though?
From the first letter I received,
I could tell that I wasn't only serving
But also being served.
It's blog month over here,
Blogging for Compassion,
Trying to get 3,160 children sponsored this month.
Honestly, the ability to make a difference,
The ability to develop a relationship with a child,
To teach,
To learn,
Is one of the greatest gifts God has given me.
Please consider joining us in releasing children from poverty
In Jesus' Name.
Sorry I don't have any Reasons today -
I've been counting, but it's been slow going
Between my little accident this week,
Cooking,
And homework starting to pile up (especially when the prior two excuses are factored in).
If anyone else would like to share?
Counting 10,000 Reasons to worship Him:
(Sylvia's already made it to - past - 10,000! So amazing to think of who He is like this!)
<a href="http://maryschieferstein.blogspot.com/search/label/10000%20Reasons" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitidrfBKBWTHSBiWyh3WMRKjHFgYKk-RxjYB9-uePQb1-uI3t3bjysPnR65zloJJ0LgTqhT5kW70Rk8VOC2utXFUWhGRPIxNCqzZ_9YQryYPMJdj2XpiX0oawLUiMnmxFOeMkmjk3IIA/s320/10000ReasonsButton.jpg" /></a>
Counting in community:
3 comments:
Yes! Such important insight! Poverty is an amorphous *thing*; a destitute individual is a person. Christ didn't come here to fix poverty, but to redeem people. And He continues to do that, as He works through His people in whose hearts He's put love and concern for other people, usually most deeply one individual at a time. So it only makes sense that we should think in the same kind of relational way, and live out His love accordingly.
PS What accident?
Thank you, Sylvia. I wasn't sure I'd gotten much of a point across, exhausted as I was last week! And Christ - yes! Such beautiful thoughts! Thank you for sharing!
I just fell off my bike . . . apparently a pretty epic fall, according to the witness (and my bike, which needed to be repaired . . . and the nurse at the health center, who was quite worried about me), but God is Good! I wasn't seriously injured, and God definitely had a few things to teach me in the days that followed, so it was a good experience overall.
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