The Passion in Compassion

Two Sundays ago our sermon at church had to do with following the things God tells us to do even if we're not sure how it's going to work out. (that's a short version, I don't have the time or energy to tell you the long one)

The message brought up some questions in my mind. Do we have the personalities we have because God gave them to us? Or are our tendencies faulty by a default sin nature? How do we know when to harness our urges, and when to let them run wild? How do we balance the grand things we'd like to do to help others, with logic and practical reality?

One of the young ladies at our church is getting ready to go live and work in Haiti for a couple of years, at an orphanage that she has done summer missions work at for the past 2 years or so. The pictures of her on her trips, holding, teaching, and playing with these adorable, parentless children, only reminded me that about 8 years ago we did some serious thinking about adopting children from Haiti.

Adoption and foster care just burn in my mind, and my husband is very similar to me. We are the type of people that see ads for sibling groups that need to be adopted out of the foster care system, and our first impulse is that we should DO something. We should help. We could maybe somehow find a way to take in these kids.

I have cried many times over photos and bios of kids needing to be adopted. One day last year I was at the library and they had these gorgeous pictures up with information about these kids that need homes. I got all choked up and had to scurry out of there, feeling terrible that I'm really not in any position to add more children to my family.

I receive Above Rubies magazine regularly, and in the past year or so they have featured the need for orphans in Liberia, Africa, to be adopted. The editor's daughter Serene and her husband have adopted 6 (I think) of these children this year, and now the editor of the magazine and her husband, who are in their 60s, have decided that they, too, will open their home to more children, and are in the process of adopting some teenagers from Liberia! I was just so touched at the willingness of these people to see the need, and ask the hardest and most important question of all: How can *I* help?

I've also been thinking a lot about Zoe Children's Homes, and the extremely important work they do there, rescuing children from the evils of human trafficking. Knowing that there are good people working every day to love and nurture these children, and that they are putting their lives on the line regularly to rescue these children, well, it makes me feel like I either need to pick up and go there to help, or do something drastic to be able to give them more money. This organization always needs more money to keep on feeding, clothing, educating, and caring for these children. It is not uncommon that the worker at Zoe in Thailand will know about specific children that they would like to help, but without additional funds, they will not be able to do so.

Can you imagine the difference a little bit of your money can make?! When you can help rescue a child from the most evil crimes imaginable?! You can do this! Consider making a donation today.




Each month we have a virtue at our church that we emphasize. Yesterday I was looking at this month's virtue: Compassion. And I noticed that PASSION is the root word. Made me think once again, how am I to best use the passion I have to be compassionate to the needs of others?

I already have six children and am far from doing all that I would like to or feel I should for them. Though I would like to reach out and do more radical things to help others, I have to be passionate about my ministry I have already with my current family. But that doesn't change the fact that my husband and I care more than the average bear about kids that need a home. I often feel in suspense as to how this will be used by God in the future.