Compassion Archives - Page 5 of 6

September 16, 2012 by Karin 4 Comments

When I see you, I see me

Don’t you sometimes feel like a broken record?

(Do kids even know what records are anymore?)

It seems like I spend most of my time saying the same thing over and over again.

be nice

stop fighting

yes, you can do this

yes, you do need help with this

no, you can not have that… do that… take that…

It’s exhausting and I wonder why they don’t just get it the first time (or the seventh). Why won’t they just listen? Learn from me? Do what I ask them to do? I, after all, have been here longer… I know more… I love them more than they know… I have their best interests at heart. I can see the mistakes they make… and I know where these mistakes will take them.

to sadness

to frustration

to confusion

to discontent

to trouble

If they would only listen the first time.

I read something. The thought of it wouldn’t leave my mind. Then I began to pay attention…

Watch the kind of people God brings around you, and you will be humiliated to find that this is His way of revealing to you the kind of person you have been to Him. Now, He says, exhibit to that one exactly what I have shown to you.

Oswald Chambers

I began to pay attention… I found the people around me… six children! I have been like 6 children to God… sigh. Not one, or two, but six little children who are convinced that they know the way… bound and determined to do it their way. Oh, boy.

I have been this. To God.

I can do this by myself

I don’t want to do that

Why should I be nice? Do you know what that person did?

I need (read… want) this, that, and that other thing, too

I will stop fighting when I win… I am right, you know

Humiliating is right. I have behaved just like six young children.

I imagine my own words mirror His…

Why won’t they just listen? Learn from Me? Do what I ask them to do? I, after all, have been here longer… I know more… I love them more than they know… I have their best interests at heart. I can see the mistakes they make… and I know where these mistakes will take them.

Nothing will humble you more than seeing your own behavior embodied in a child, right in front of your eyes.

Then, a light… a child comes to me

I want to give Myrlande a gift

Is this a lot of money where she lives?

My daughter, only 9-years-old, thinks of her Compassion sister. My heart swells. The beauty, the joy… in the giving. Maybe, this is something she listened to the first time. Maybe, the opening of my eyes… have opened theirs a little bit more.

My baby, grabbing mama fingers, pulls herself up to take first steps. Peels of laughter, squeals coming from this blue-eyed doll. One. Step. At. A. Time. Pure joy in her accomplishment. This little one, knowing the strength comes from the hand that steadies her… as she ventures forward on her two feet. Something I can learn from this little one right in front of me.

taking the Hand of strength as I venture forward on my two feet

The awareness. Perhaps, the awareness of what you see in front of you, points back to your own ways. The awareness is the first step in peeling just a few more scales from these eyes… revealing nuggets of wisdom. Revealing… just one more reason to look around, just one more reason… to look Up.

John 13:14-15

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

September 11, 2012 by Karin Leave a Comment

Dear God… (a love letter)

Dear God,

This suddenly makes You so much more real to me. Writing a letter, putting words on paper… I only do that with the people I love, the ones I can touch. Writing this letter makes me realize with a jolt… that You are so very real. I spend so much time thinking about You, speaking to You (mostly in my mind… though I am learning to speak out loud. Speaking out loud just makes You more real to me. I’m not one to talk out loud to no one, after all). I spend time talking with my kids, my husband, my friends, my parents… about You. I have written about You so many times. I wonder why I have never written to You? I read what You have written to me. I suppose You might enjoy a letter, too. Real words about real love.

The words come a bit more slowly this way. Funny how I am laboring to say just the right thing… hoping I will somehow impress You, make You love me more, see me for who I am. The words I write… I want them to show You how well I can put words together, but I suddenly gather that You care more about how well I can put Your words together. What have You told me in Your letters to me? So many lessons, so much Fatherly advice, direction, instruction. Love. That’s it. The message in all of Your letters. Love. You want me to love You, and You show me how… by loving me. You are doing a much better job than I am. Then there’s the other part… loving others… more than myself. You, better job, again. I really want to be more like You.

You have lovingly taken me along my path in life and picked me up when I failed ~ even when I didn’t know I was failing. You pointed me in the right direction, again, gave me a pat on my back… words of encouragement… and Your love. You gave me a most incredible husband, and are showing me how to get through the messy selfishness in marriage. You gave me six kids! That’s a lot of kids. I never dreamed…

You gave me a desire to love my six pack of kids so much that I would place You directly in their sights. This was all a bit foreign to me, but You nudged me along and whispered words of encouragement when I doubted. You have touched me.

One night, while I was up too late… You opened my eyes. You opened my eyes to small faces on a screen… after I had tucked my six small faces into their warm beds. You opened my eyes to the need behind the young eyes. A need I had pushed into the background of my mind ~ assuming someone out there would take care of them. Somebody out there had to notice. Suddenly I started to cry like I hadn’t cried in quite a while. I realized I was the someone out there who needed to notice…

Their names are Elie and Myrlande. They live in Haiti. My kids were so excited when we printed out their pictures from the Compassion sponsor page that they went running to Daddy, as he walked in the door at the end of the day. Two more kids! I couldn’t believe the joy we felt. It was surreal. Like we had just reached out across the waters… and touched them.

We pray for them every day. The greatest thing is… my little ones pray for them before I can even get the words out. We have prayed for them especially now after Hurricane Isaac swept across Haiti.

Letters. Writing letters. I write to people I love, the ones I can touch. How odd that I haven’t written to You before. You are touching every part of my life, of my husband’s life, my children’s lives… Elie and Myrlande’s lives. That’s it! It’s how You want me to touch their lives! You touch us as we touch each other… with love. A love greater than that for ourselves. The words are beginning to come more easily now…

You want us to love with more than words… more than speech. You want us to love with action… with truth.

Thank you, God, for letting me come to You. For blessing me. For blessing my husband and my children. Thank You for using us to bless.

We are blessed to be a blessing.

Thank you for Your words… thank you for loving us with your Word.

All my love,

1 John 3:18

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

September 5, 2012 by Karin Leave a Comment

The Beautiful Outcome of Compassion

New photos on our wall.

The week painting our kitchen and den ~ a fulfilling task while my warrior was away for a training exercise.

Mom, can I help?

Pleading eyes… asking for just a chance…

Hmm, maybe just a little.

Painting, decorating, arranging photos are my greedy tasks… I enjoy the finished product… and give myself a little pat on the back when I am done. These questioning young eyes want a chance to get in the game… they want to be a part of this… to have just one chance…

Ok

I smile… knowing the joy these helpful hands will feel… just to have been a part of this… to make a difference… to see the change.

Rooms painted, photos fresh from a beach vacation carefully placed… I grin… the young eyes light up ~ the work completed. The beautiful outcome. The faces of my young children peering from photographs… beautiful young faces.

Beautiful young faces.

What if these photos had a different background? What if there were no vacations? What if my children had a different background? What if they had been born in a different place? A different zip code? A place of different opportunities? A place with little… or no opportunities? A place with few helping hands? A place praying for more helping hands? What if…

We gather at the computer… our speedy Mac, that takes us anywhere in seconds.

Can we look at their pictures?

Mama, can we help?

I smile…

Maybe just a little

it may be just a little for us… but so much more for them…

We click… we see…

Pleading eyes… asking for just a chance…

The faces we see… like my own, but different…

These questioning young eyes want a chance to get in the game… they want to be a part of this… to have just one chance…

My young ones, drawn in by the faces, the places, the stories…

Mama, can we help?

I smile… knowing the joy these helpful hands will feel… just to have been a part of this… to make a difference… to see the change.

The beautiful outcome

We click… two times. Their names are Myrlande and Elie. They live in Haiti. My children pray for them, they think of them, they write to them. They realize just a little bit more… the blessings we have are blessings to be shared.

September is Official Blog Month at Compassion International. The goal is to find sponsors for 3,108 children in the month of September. For $38 per month, a child will receive opportunity…

these children served by Compassion receive, among other things: the opportunity to hear the gospel and learn about Jesus; regular Christian training; educational opportunities and help; health care, hygiene training, and supplementary food if necessary; a caring and safe Christian environment to grow in self-confidence and social skills; personal attention, guidance and love.

I look at these opportunities and see what my own children receive… without having to ask. For the cost of a toy, a Wii game, a new pair of shoes… these kids… with different zip codes… receive ~ a chance.

Will you go there? Take a look at these beautiful faces… with the questioning eyes… these faces that pray so much for just one chance…

Will you join us to pray for them?

Will you consider sponsoring just one child?

1 Peter 3:8

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

August 30, 2012 by Karin 2 Comments

How to Live Your Life Backwards

I’m standing at the end of the long road.

The road with twists and turns. There were potholes along the way. At times the road was straight… unremarkable. There were hills… they sloped upwards to steep mountains. Then, the road down… the exhilarating rush down… the side views but a blur. This road well-travelled.

I’m standing at the end of this road.

He puts His hands on my shoulders and turns me gently around,

Look back

What do you see?

What if, when we get to the end of this life’s road… what if God asks us to turn around? Turn around and look at it.

What would you do differently?

Would you give thanks for the potholes… because when you climbed out, you appreciated the flat road? Would you work harder to climb the hills, knowing that the mountains they might become… would burn? Would you slow down on the downhill glide… and pay attention to what was standing on the side of the road?

I’ve been thinking about this…

What if I could live my life backwards?

What if I could turn around at the end… change it… do it differently?

What would I do differently?

If I stood at the end of the road and looked back… what would I do differently?

Call my mom more
Run to the door and hug my husband every time he comes home
Turn off the TV
And the computer
Play dolls and dress up with my little girls… regularly
Play Legos… like I am 10 years old, and trains… like I am 5
Go running… alone
Take a walk… with my whole six pack
Clean less
Get a Facebook account… just to see what my brother is up to these days
Tell more people how awesome Jesus is, no matter how awkward I feel… because He is… and it matters that much
Rock my baby… just a little bit longer
Stay in touch with old friends… better
Buy less for Christmas… give more to those who can’t
Show my kids that giving is WAY better than receiving
Sponsor more children
Write more letters… on real paper, with real pens
Say “in just a second…” and mean “in just a second…”
Go on more dates with my warrior
Take my kids on a date… one. by. one.
Pray more… on my knees
Read the Bible… every single day… with my kids
Assume less… ask more
Forgive… just forgive
Say “sorry” … and mean it
Accept “sorry” … and let it go
Ride a bike, with my little ones, while they are little
Spend more time at the beach
Play outside… instead of watching them through the window
Play board games… every time they ask
Have desert for dinner… on Fridays. Because it’s Friday.
Give thanks to Him… without ceasing
Say I Love You… every chance I get
Let my kids know that I don’t have all the answers… God does.
Thank Him… that I can look back and still have time to do all this

What would you do differently?

If you are reading this…

you can.

Philippians 3:12-13

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead

August 16, 2012 by Karin Leave a Comment

21 days

I made it for 21 days.

I couldn’t even survive for a whole month.

$1.25

That’s it. Not one penny more.

Did you know that 1.3 BILLION people in the world live in extreme poverty? That’s the kind of number I can’t wrap my brain around. So, I look at it like this…

26 % of the entire population of the world…

one-fourth of our planet’s people are dirt poor.

They live off less than $1.25 a day ~ every day.

Why did I never think about them before?

What was I busy doing?

What was I busy buying?

Eating?

Playing?

I just played a game. An interesting, interactive online game. Survive 125. I read about a woman, Divya Patel, in India. She has 4 children. She… and her four babies… survive on $1.25 a day. Every day.

I clicked Start Game… and I pretended… for just a moment… to be Divya. The difference is…

I can eat, I can drink, I can sleep, I can read, I can write, I can provide for my children, I am safe, I am warm, I am dry…

I am on a compter… playing a game.

Divya is surviving ~ I pray ~ on $1.25 a day.

I only made it until day 21. Then, my money ran out. The game ended.

What happens when the real money runs out? How does the reality end?

I read the stunning facts. The haunting decisions that people in extreme poverty face every day.

Will I be able to pay for public school for my children? I can’t teach them at home… because I can’t read

800 million people in the world are illiterate. Two-thirds of these individuals are women. I have two degrees… and hundreds of millions of people can’t read or write. Have you ever thought about what you couldn’t do if you couldn’t read or write? I just did. I couldn’t do this.

Will I be able to provide my children with clean water? With medications? With food?

Every 6 seconds a child dies of hunger. My eyes burn tears and my throat begins to close.

What did I throw in the trash after dinner tonight?

How many babies died while I cleaned my kitchen?

I am overcome. What have I been doing? Why didn’t I see?

I see now.

My eyes are wide open.

I throw my voice into the noise and utter a plea for the ones who can’t read or write… the ones who have never seen a computer… the ones who are barely surviving on $1.25 a day… every day.

I only made it 21 days.

58: Alliance is a global initiative to end extreme poverty by living out Isaiah 58. Compassion is part of the 58: Alliance. Sponsoring a child living in conditions of extreme poverty… being a sponsor provides a child with an opportunity to receive an education… to read and to write. Sponsoring a child gives a child the opportunity to be healthy, through health monitoring, personal health and hygiene education, and provision of supplementary food when necessary. Sponsoring a child gives the child a chance to participate in a local church-based program. The child you sponsor will learn about Jesus!

For $38 per month, a child shackled by poverty… begins to break free ~ for the price of a new Wii game for my kids.

The compassion grows in my own little ones, who have been blessed with comfort. I share what I have learned ~ their hearts long to share their own comfort…

take some of mine… share it with them…

Compassion.

What if my name were Divya Patel? How long would I survive?

How long would you survive on $1.25 per day? Try Survive 125. Can you make it past 21 days?

Isaiah 58:7-9

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

When I see you, I see me

Dear God… (a love letter)

The Beautiful Outcome of Compassion

How to Live Your Life Backwards

21 days

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