A Need for More Compassion

This week, God has made it very clear to me that I need more compassion. It all started when I came home from work one night and began to sort through the day's mail on our kitchen counter. I flipped through the pile scanning and sorting each letter into categories: bills, junk mail etc. I was moving through the pile with machine-like speed until I came across an envelope with a child's face on the front cover. The child on the envelope had a severe cleft lip and palate. I paused momentarily to take in the picture then quickly flipped the envelope over disturbed and admittedly disgusted by the what I saw. As I continued on in my sorting process, my conscience rang loud within me like the first crow of the rooster that convicted Peter of his denial of Jesus.

A few nights later I was leading a Bible study at my church. One of the participants shared a story of Heidi Baker, a missionary to Mozambique. Heidi has seen God move miraculously through her ministry healing the blind, deaf and sick. On one occasion she came to a camp where there was a large group of terminally ill people under a tent. The Lord spoke to Heidi and said he wanted her to minister to each one of them face to face, cheek to cheek. This was an outlandish request because these people were contagious and their disease could have easily been transferred over to her. The doctors tried to convince her not to do it, warning her of the danger of getting cholera. But out of obedience to the Lord and compassion for these people she began to minister to each person. After only the first day, a few went home well, then the next day many more were healed until the third day when every person was made whole!

The cock crowed a second time; I was convicted of my lack of compassion for others.

On Friday morning, I went to a leadership training course that I've been taking for a few weeks. Our assignment from the prior week was to bring a group of co-workers together to brainstorm ideas that would save our company money. We gathered in groups of four at our tables discussing how each person's session went and elected one person from each group who's story was the most compelling. I was chosen from our group and was asked to stand in front of the class with two others to retell our story.

The first person to give a report was Rebecca, a very soft spoken young woman who works as a lawyer representing poor people. She told of how she gathered a group of lawyers, paralegals and administrators from her office to do the brainstorming session together. One of the administrators leaned over to her during the meeting and whispered, "Do your really want my opinion, I'm not a lawyer?" Rebecca encouraged her to participate and said that everyone's opinion was welcome.

After the three of us gave our presentations, the class voted for the one story they appreciated the most. And the winner was Rebecca. While the other gentleman and I had stories that were similar in their attempt to save our company money, it was Rebecca's willingness to "level the playing field" and have compassion on "the least of these" that made her story the most compelling. Although the business people in the class come from various religious and cultural backgrounds, everyone could relate to the humane decision of compassion Rebecca made. The cock crowed again.

The Holy Spirit began to connect the dots for me showing how each of these stories had one overriding theme: compassion. It is compassion that will motivate others to donate money so the child with the cleft palate and lip can receive corrective surgery. It was the compassion of Jesus shown through Heidi Baker that motivated her to take a risk for her own health to see God do a miracle. And it was compassion for other co-workers that led Rebecca to honor the opinion of everyone in her office.

So what do you do when you see a world in need of compassion, but at the same time your heart is desperately in need of more love and care for others? You do what I did, call out to God and make your confession and plea, "Oh God, forgive me for my hard heart and fill me with your compassion for others!" I know this is a prayer that God is going to gladly answer.

One last note: As we approach Mother's day this year I want to honor one of the most compassionate persons I've ever known, my mother Souad Eade. My mom has a tender heart for others, a Mother Teresa type spirit and a compassion that is tangible. Thank you Mom for all the times you cared for me when I was sick, comforted me when I was sad and empathized with me when I was hurting. Your example of compassion is a great one for me to follow. Thank you. I love you.

"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." (Matthew 14:14) Amen.

The Emptiness of a Christmas without Christ

I don't have the most vivid memory of my childhood. It's not because I'm suppressing some deep wounds from my past or trying to forget a horrible upbringing. In fact, I think I had it pretty good. The problem is that I have a pretty poor memory. But there are those few occasions that I will never forget. You know, those special moments, whether good or bad, that are etched in your mind for all your life.

One of those moments that I can recall happened when I was a young boy. It took place towards the end of Christmas day after all the gifts had been unwrapped, our meal had been eaten and the house was settling down. Well, when you have six kids in a family, it never really settles down, but relatively speaking, it was a little less chaotic.

I am the youngest in my family and my next oldest sister is about six years older than I. So, to put it plainly, I was spoiled. I don't remember one Christmas when my parents didn't get me that special gift I was longing for. One year is was an electronic, animated Etch-A-Sketch, another year it was the latest Nintendo video system, the list goes on. I had everything a little boy could ever want. Not to mention I had five older siblings who looked after me, played with me and only occasionally found pleasure in picking on me.

But on this one Christmas, at the end of the day, I found myself kneeling down by my parent's bedside next to the stand where their perfectly square digital alarm clock sat. And here I was, a boy who had everything he could possibly want, with tears, rushing down my face. I couldn't even explain why I felt so terribly sad, I had no good reasons, except for the fact that I felt lonely, empty and lost.

I remember one of my sisters coming into the room and finding me on my knees silently but steadily weeping. "Pierre, are you ok?" Of course I denied that anything was wrong - I guess that's a trait for even young men too! "Did you not get something you wanted for Christmas?" I shook my head to say no and explained through tears, "That's not it." She left the room to go get my mother who also came to console me.

I'm not sure if my sister or my mother would remember this day, but it's one I will never forget. I truly believe it was one of the earliest points in my life where God was beginning to show me, in a very subtle, but tangible way, that life without him is void and empty.

My parents did a wonderful job in not only supplying for what our family needed, but also for everything we could have wanted, yet there was something that was missing. This was something that money could never buy, but ironically came without a price.

I now realize, looking back, that the emptiness I felt at that tender young age could never have been filled by any material gift. The only way to fill that void is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. It wouldn't be until my early twenties when God would open my eyes to the true reason for Christmas and the only gift that will satisfy, the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.

This Christmas, I encourage you to make a concerted effort to get away from all the hustle and bustle around you and spend some time with Jesus, God's most precious gift. Open your heart to Him knowing that He is the only one who can fulfill the deepest longings of your soul.

Jesus told the woman at the well,

"If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. Whoever drinks of this water (from the well) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:10,13,14)

Like a Little Child

This past Sunday I took my three year old to a new Sunday School class. He graduated from "Lollypop Lane" (which was basically a play center for young kids) to the 3 to 5year old class. In this new class they draw, hear Bible stories, have snacks and play games.

Since it was his first time in this new class, I decided to stay with him for the duration of the class to see what took place and how well he interacted with the other kids. I considered this a minor sacrifice knowing I would not be able to attend our regular service and hear this Sunday's sermon. To my surprise, I learned many spiritual truths in the presence of these toddlers.

Jesus was fond of little children. In fact he made some profound statements about children and the kingdom of God.

"Verily I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name receives me." Matthew 18:3-5

Here are some observations I made as I was in the midst of these little children.

Story time : The Bible story for the day was about Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. The overarching theme of the story was that we need to "love one another". The simplicity of the message made an impact on my own heart. How often are we looking for the deeper revelations from God when we haven't yet mastered the clearest commandment of the entire Bible - love each other.

Ask in faith : When it came to snack time, the kids were offered Goldfish and apple juice. As some of the kids finished their snack they simply asked for more. "Can I have more fish?" "Can I have more juice?" I became the teacher's helper and had the privilege of serving these little ones. Their simple requests reminded me of Jesus' teaching that we need to ask God in faith for what we need knowing that our Heavenly Father desires to give us what is good. (Matthew 7:7-11)

Freedom and Joy : Toward the end of the class there was time remaining before the parents would return. The teacher played some Christian music and invited the kids to dance. When the music stopped, they would "freeze" in place. The kids had no hesitation to get out on the carpet and cut the rug. Each one had their own style of dancing from spinning in circles to a simple bend of the knees, but one thing they had in common was their unhindered ability to be free and happy. There were no concerns about what other people thought about them or if they would be criticized for their silly moves, they just danced because it was the fun thing to do.

As I sat there with these little children admiring their uniqueness and simple lives, I thought, "Maybe I should help out here more often." Shortly after the class, the Sunday School coordinator asked if I'd be available to help out during the Summer with the kids. I thought to myself, "Ok, God, I hear you loud and clear." So for the next few weeks I will have the honor of assisting in this class and being taught by 3, 4 and 5 year olds what it means to be a child of God.