Ultimate Compassion

So, this won't the last time you'll hear from me about the topics of compassion and poverty. I feel as though I am on a quest to discover how these things are to play out in my life. I believe these issues are too close to the heart of God for me to ignore, and I find God drawing me further into His heart.

This past weekend, I attended a conference put on by Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, called Ultimate Compassion (www.ultimatecompassion.com). This event was part of this body of Christ's effort to learn about and better live out the calling of Jesus to "bring good news to the poor."

From a spiritual perspective, it opened my eyes to the war between good and evil. What other explanation could there be that such prosperity can live right next to such poverty? Ephesians 6:12 says that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." They explained that the cultures we live in, the "systems" we operate in are these powers/principalities. It is hard to see the systems we live in since they are the air we breathe. But they are de-humanizing. Our political system and economy couldn't even support itself if the poor came out of poverty. Their staying there is how we stay where we are or "move up in the world".

Action steps:
We must put aside our judgments, admit that our privilege and power is unmerited, and be responsible for it.
We must admit that we are all racist on some level.
We must accept our history and turn our eyes to Jesus so we can learn how to live out a truly Christ-like love.
We must realize that as the body of Christ, when one suffers, we all suffer.
We must acknowledge that every human being is a child of God, worthy of "life to the full". We were ALL saved by grace!

JESUS WAS A REVOLUTIONARY. He revolted against every cultural norm with no desire to appease people or build an empire and "rule". Rather, He told the people that following Him was going to cost them, and that their rewards would be found in heaven. His main ministry was to the poor, broken, and neglected.
So if God came to bring good news to the poor, what is the good news I bring them in the way I live my life? What would it look like to revolt against the American system and put the causes of Christ before the cultural norms?

These are questions I must ask myself, because I want to be in the heart of God, and I know it is not my natural tendency to lay down my life for the Kingdom. Poverty is such a huge issue. I don't claim to have everything figured out, but I know that God is asking more of me than to just live comfortably and feel good about serving the poor every once in awhile...He wants our whole heart! And He promises fullness of life as we give ours away...

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

I welcome any discussion over this issue!
Abby

"Who do you say I am?"

Today, I am refreshed.

I decided I needed to take a good chunk of time to sit alone with the Lord, so I turned on some worship music and cozied up under a blanket with my Bible and journal.

Work in particular has been really stressful for the last couple of months. People around the world are in so much need. My position is unique in that although I am involved on the operational side of things that requires objective input, meetings about inventory numbers and scheduling containers to pick up in the right places, etc, I am also in contact and/or relationship with many people around the world. Each one is in a different situation with varying needs. Of course, FMSC cannot meet all the needs that are put before us. It is my job to manage the needs and requests that come to us with compassion, offering hope to many who are suffering through conversation, connecting them to other international partners, or just praying for them. I am honored to carry this daily burden and offer Christ in me to them as much as possible.

But lately it has been too much for me. I have felt that I have nothing to give them. I have felt hopelessness. The recent destruction and death resulting from the typhoons in the Philippines has made me want to run and hide because I cannot understand such great suffering.

So here I was, looking to rest in God's presence and running to Him in hopes that He would be my hiding place. Where else could I go?

I started writing, mostly petitions to God that He would release me from these heavy burdens and come to the rescue of His people. But you can only plead with Him for so long before having to acknowledge the great God that He is, because to know Him is to trust Him enough to release your burdens to Him.

All the above is to preface this declaration of who our God is, especially in the midst of suffering and corruption:

You are God, my God, Lover of all, Restorer of all things, Provider, Healer, Redeemer, Sovereign King, Keeper of justice, worthy of judging, gracious and merciful, "other than", Father, our Comfort, our Hiding Place, our Resting Place, wise and honorable, always loving, never late. My we run to Him, our Solution, our Source, the Giver of freedom. He is always good. He is our only hope. He is YAHWEH!

May we always run to God and remind ourselves of who He is and always has been, especially in the midst of hardship, confusion, misunderstanding, and hopelessness. It is only through Him that we can be equipped to endure the weight of this world, being empowered by the knowledge of who He is and the hope that is for all to receive only through Him. Let us fix our eyes on Him who is the great I AM.