6 Reasons for Compassion... and Audio Adrenaline

Compassion wants to spread the word about their campaign to raise $20,000 this Christmas season.

I can't sell anything, and I have to work up a lot of nerve to ask for a favor. I'm not trying to do either. But I am passionate about the act of giving and about the work that Compassion and other organizations like them do. So I'm asking you to read with an open mind, pray about it, and respond as you are led with joy.

1. A fiction children's story that I heard on the radio about a year ago sums it up well. A boy recounted the story he had heard to a doubtful older man:

A church in South America had acted on faith to build, but needed to borrow money to start. The day came that the money was due, but the pastor did not have it, and he was facing serious jail time as the penalty. Miraculously, a missionary happened to visit that church on the very same day, and happened to have the money needed to pay off the loan.

The man responded to the story: That isn't very wise to walk around in the jungle with thousands of dollars in your pocket.

The boy replied: The amount due was $50.

If I could take you to the villages and homes of those that benefit from Compassion, and if we were standing there and you knew that you could change someone's life with the money in your pocket, you would do it. And you can do it.

2. This is a true story from Hero Tales by Dave and Nita Jackson.

Abigail Townsend was a friend of the Muller family. She was a little girl that had grown to like George Muller, a pastor who had started an orphange in Bristol, England in 1836. George believed that he did not need to ask for anything, but trusted that God would supply all of his needs.

    One morning, Muller took Abbie by the hand and said, "Come see what our Father in heaven will do for us today."
     He led her into the long dining room, where bowls and cups were on the table, but there was no food. But the orphan children were standing behind their seats, respectfully waiting for breakfast to begin.
     "Children," said Muller, "it will soon be time for school, so let's pray. Dear Father, we thank you for what you are going to give us to eat."
    Just then a knock sounded at the door, and there stood the local baker. "Mr. Muller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you didn't have bread for breakfast, and the Lord wanted me to send you some. So I got up and two o'clock and baked some fresh bread for you."
    Muller thanked the baker and praised God for His care. "Children," he said, "we not only have bread to eat, but God has given us the rare treat of fresh bread."
    Right away there came a second knock at the door. This time it was the milkman, who announced that his cart had broken down outside the orphanage. "I must empty my wagon before I can repair it. Could the children use my cans of fresh milk?"
     There, before her very eyes, little Abbie saw God provide fresh bread and milk for the children.
     "I wish God would answer my prayers like He does yours, Mr. Muller," said Abigail.
     "Oh, He will," said George Muller. "All you have to do is ask Him. Now, what is it that you want?"
     "Some wool yarn," said Abbie, grinning.
     "Well, let's pray, then." And Muller helped her to say a short prayer.
     Some time later, Abbie came running back to Muller. "I want to pray again," she said.
     "God heard you the first time, child." You don't need to pester Him."
     "But I forgot to tell Him what color I want," said Abbie.
     Taking her up on his knee, he said, " You are right, you should tell God exactly what you want."
     "Please, God, " prayed Abbie, "send mixed colors." Then she jumped down and ran to play.
     The next morning, a package arrived for Abigail. Her Sunday school teacher had forgotten her birthday and sent a late gift... of mixed colors of yarn!

You don't need a large savings in order to give. You give, God provides. In giving, you let go of your own resources and power, and you allow God to be the provider. This is the begining of a very exciting adventure, because God's resources are vastly greater than any one person's.

3. A reoccurring theme in my daily spiritual learning recently is that I don't have the be doing something huge in order to be doing something important. What is important is to do my best at whatever God has placed before me at that time. It could be the daily routines: going to work, doing the dishes, paying to bills, etc. It could be stopping to talk to an elderly person in the grocery store. I may be worshiping at church. You don't have to be on a billion committees or fostering special needs children or adopting from the other side of the world (but if you are, bless you a million times!) If folding laundry is the thing which is set before you, do your best and that is the most important thing you could do at that time. Anything else is nowhere near as valuable.

If you feel a tug at your heart right now, maybe that important thing is to take a few minutes to give a little money to make a big difference.... the one thing set before you at this moment.

4.  If you are reading this in America, the very place from where I write, we are in the middle of a spending frenzy. Five days till Christmas and we have or are spending on gifts, parties, candy, ugly sweaters, and traveling. We spend a lot of money at Christmas. I don't know the numbers, but it's a lot. We give our kids gifts that they don't need - they might not even want after a week of owning them. We, (as a whole- not you, unless it is you) don't know how not to consume. Millions of dollars every year are spent on Halloween candy and plastic Easter eggs because we think that we have to. (I'm really not trying to make anyone feel guilty here, this is simply something that gets my fingers typing rapidly)

The fact is that many times more of the children that are waking up to a pile of gifts and wearing new Christmas clothes for exactly four Sundays and one Christmas Eve program, are the children that go on living as usual. Maybe they have not heard of Christmas, or maybe they have heard of it but have not witnessed one string of tinsel to signify that this is Christmas time. Some are even literally slaving over cocoa beans that make up the chocolate you are eating, and they have never had a bite of chocolate in their lives.

We have it good. After a wave of big expenses, I have less money in my account than I have in years, and I still have it good. Money given to buy gifts from the Compassion catalog give a different gift: a gift of change, a gift of hope. Gifts like food and water, learning a profession, livestock for income, or mosquito nets. These are gifts that are not taken for granted.

Giving through Compassion is a chance to really make a difference. It will put a smile on someone's face for more than two seconds. We've spent a whole lot more on things that matter a whole lot less.

5. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Do you want to do something for yourself? Give. Are you sad? Give. Depressed? Scared? Give.

Your heart will be filled with joy unspeakable. 

6. They are people. They have emotions, they get hurt, they look at their children and long to give them something better. Recently, Compassion challenged sponsors to pray for their children. One of the requests was that the sponsored children would be generous with what they were blessed with. That is what I want for my own children! Yes! We don't just want them to take, we want them to thrive. We want them to know God has made them for a special purpose, God has placed them in the care of Compassion, has given them opportunities to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually for a purpose! As I pray with my children at night, my biggest burden is to bring them up to know why they are here at this time, and that they would fulfill their reason for being. This requires health and safety, teaching and opportunity; the freedom to thrive. Oh, that Si (my sponsored child) would have the same blessings as my own children to fulfull his purpose, along with other children and families touched by Compassion.

People investing in people makes for a better world.

Here is the deal: I have been challenged to raise $100 through my blog. Now, I don't have a big following and I don't advertize or do giveaways to motivate, but I figure that at the least four people could give $25.

This is not, by any means the only amount avaliable. Please give what you feel led to give. I would appreciate it if you respond and let me know by commenting (annonomys if you prefer) or by e-mail. Also, if you would share my blog or the link to the catalog to let other's know, what a blessing that would be. Let's do this.

Real Giving

My father gave my shoulder a pat and explained what he did to my car this time. I gave a weak smile, said thanks, and proceeded to pack up the car. Mom noticed the expression on my face; she knows my temperament well.

"Don't be mad that he helps you. He loves you."

I nodded my head and explained how tired I was, but deep down I knew I was having trouble receiving again. It has always been a challenge for me. Maybe it's because of pride. I'm well into my 30's and my parents still save the day more often than I'd like to admit. Maybe it's that I could never believe that someone helped me out of simply loving me. I've often thought there might be a sense of obligation or ulterior motive. I'm speaking from raw thoughts here- I'm not really that likable.

For some reason, my mother's comment hit me different than usual. My father loves me. I thought of the love I have for my own children- a love that is so strong I can't go a day without smothering them with kisses and "I love you's". I would mess up schedules, break my budgets, lose sleep over, and put myself in various discomforts for anything that would improve their lives. It is possible that my own parents feel the same way toward me, I suppose.

I don't have to be likable, and I don't need to deserve it. They just like loving me.

More than dozens of times, I have received with half hearted thanksgiving, only to realize the thought behind the gift or the sacrifice involved after the fact. It is then that I am overwhelmed with gratitude yet unable to express it or return favors, and I am nothing but humbled.

My father is great, but my Father is far more loving, compassionate, and generous than any human could be.

I have to admit, it is more than I can wrap my mind around.

Dealing with the concept of real giving during Christmas is difficult because as much as I love tradition, some tradition ruins purpose. Giving and receiving gifts for the sake of the season of giving are, at times, not really giving at all. As entitlement plagues our nation, my heart has hardened a little at the flippant phrases cute customs tossed around in such a time as Christmas. Children are taught to be "good" in order to feed their greed. Neighbors pay large sums of money to hang white lights that match everyon'e in the neighborhood. People complain about the Christmas shopping they have to do in order to give. Those in search of a heart warming story throw a few coins in a homeless man's cup, and sing their own praises.

We can't deny it, it's true.

But in the midst of it all, real giving may be seen if you search for it. Or, it may be right in front of you and you may never know it. This is because real giving stems from real love, which is so accurately described in 1 Corinthians 13:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek it's own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Real giving may be caught in the act, but it's intentions are not meant to be seen. Real giving may look false, but the purest of intentions are the force behind it. No one really knows but God and possibly the giver.

I believe that God is so great that any form of giving can be a blessing. I have given for many reasons, like as a child when it was mandatory. Admittedly, there have been times of giving in order to look good, and times where I had a smile on my face while kicking and screaming inside.

I have given out of faith, knowing that it was an act of submission to God's perfect plan. I don't know how it was received, but my blessings were numerous. I have given out of hope, that kindness might make some one's life better. This kind of giving is also beneficial for the giver.

But the gift from love is simply supernatural. It hurts the giver, it tries her patience, it does not make sense. It may cause doubt over time, and it shows no trace of self interest. It is stubborn and certainly not logical. It takes faith, and it takes hope, but the driving force is love.

This love, the purest form of giving, only can come through the power of God Himself. He loves the unlovable and gives grace to the unworthy. He showers blessings on those that are least likely to give back.

And He uses us to do it, which in itself, is a gift of love.

This blog post is an assignment from Compassion International. To check out how you can bless someone in need with a Christmas gift, click here.

It's All About Giving

The seed was planted early in life...

"It's better to give than to receive" somehow was forever planted in my memory verse bank. Possibly from a Precious Moments poster, or possibly from a Sunday School lesson.

As in many poster slogans and Sunday School lessons, however, it seemed like a nice idea that was unrealistic. It goes against common sense. You have to take care of yourself first, and if you have anything extra you can give that. But I never had extra. I always had wants that were not met, therefore, there was not extra.

And that seed went through seasons as simply a seed. A small, hard, fruitless seed with enormous potential.

During one of those fruitless seasons, I pondered how it was that others seemed to be free to give to me, but I felt like I was always on the receiving end. Even though there was the thought of how blessed I was that when I was in need someone thought of me, I so desperately wanted to be on the giving end. At this point, I had so little money to hand out. Conviction and desperation for a change gave me the strength to reach out a little at a time, one way or another. Sometimes is was free babysitting, providing a meal, and sometimes all I had to give was a prayer, which is no small gift.

The seed began to sprout. I was blessed by giving. It was hard, though. Some people did not care, maybe they did not appreciate my help, maybe they took me for granted. I mean, this was a huge deal for me to actually be doing something. HUGE. You'd think others would take notice and show a little gratitude.

This caused a bit of a setback, but the desire lingered. Opportunities opened up, resources were sufficient, and suddenly I didn't need a lot of things that I thought I did. Blessings came, some by others, and some by a joyful spirit. And somewhere along the line, I began to realize that giving is life- for life is not simply breathing and growing, but it is meaning.

Giving brings meaning. In direct opposition to my desire to lock myself inside my house and pity yours truly, my desire was to forget about myself and look at all the wonders that are people outside my door and across the ocean. Roots deepened, branches spread, and began to intertwine between other branches, in crevices, through windows, and even sometimes into hearts. Unspeakable joy. Giving is life.

After realizing this, the Lord took the time to tap me on the shoulder and whisper- "I'm glad that you discovered the joy of giving, but it was written in my Word all along." What a shock. God's word is truth, it demands giving of yourself so that life may be full. This happens to be the very thing we want, but have the impression that it will hand us the opposite.

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tounge but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion  before God and the Father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." - James 1:22-27

Giving starts as a baby step and then becomes a lifestyle. It becomes the realization that the result of your giving is not your business. Sometimes we have the luxury of seeing it's effects, and sometimes not. It does not matter, though. A friend of mine kindly shared her story in giving:

"The offering out of ones needs is about giving. Years ago as I watched a gal pacing outside my then business I approached her and asked if I could do anything to help her. I could call someone or give her a seat to rest on. I had only hot dogs in my fridge. She was there the entire day, and never said a word. The police came as I was closing my business took her away. Later she returned to the home across from me asking for me. I was gone but she recalled the long day attempts I made to reach her. I prayed for her. No one else noticed her needs, only loitering. We can only try to help and our Abba Father notices all we do."

When the giving becomes a way of life, what we used to think was impossible is not given a second thought, and new and greater challenges beckon our attention. We begin to use creativity, and most exciting of all, faith. This is the time we realize that it has gotten out of our control and there is no where to go but to trust God or turn back. I don't want to turn back. The life I've left I hope to never see again. We can only go forward, so I hold fast onto God's promises of provision and protection. I search for those that have gone ahead of me in their giving journeys and draw strength from testimonies- some only a few years ago and some from the scriptures... and anywhere in between.

Truly, when I began to accept the idea of giving is when I really started living. My prayer is to see the full potential of that seed before I leave this earth, and I hope that the joy I have from the adventure of being a doer of the word would inspire a few others to challenge themselves in this as well.

It's all about giving.

This blog post is an assignment from Compassion International. To check out how you can bless someone with a Christmas gift, click here.