Life By The Way

Compassion Is Action

Compassion without action is merely sympathy, or even empathy.

I had an experience as a young occupational therapist that shaped me from that point forward and changed my understanding of compassion. I was working with a young boy, about age 12, and this boy had been horribly abused by his biological parents. I’ll call him Matt. He had significant delays and it was never determined if the delays preceded the abuse, or if the delays had come because of the abuse. In either case, it was a terrible thing to think about, and my heart was tender for him as we worked together. I was working with him on identifying letters, because one of the goals of his adoptive mother was that he would be able to recognize simple signs such as bathroom signs, to promote his independence in the community as he got older.

This was in an outpatient setting in a large, growing hospital, and there was construction work going on constantly. As we sat on the floor in the treatment room, with the activity in front of us, I found myself praying silently, in a kind of “crisis-of-faith moment,”

“Lord, how could you let this happen to this sweet child? Where were you?”

Then I heard these words, not audibly, but in my thoughts,

“If no one ever had a need, how would you learn compassion?”

That settled over me for a moment.

In the following seconds, there was a very loud and startling crash on the floor above. It sounded like the ceiling was going to fall down around us. Instinctively, my “Mama arm” went out to protect him, but then I realized that it was construction work on the floor above. I said to Matt, “Oh, they’re just doing work upstairs.” He looked at me and smiled and said, “It’s ok, Jesus will protect us.” How did he know that? His sentences were never that complex, but somehow that truth was in his heart and mind, and he was able to articulate it.

I looked at him and my eyes filled with tears; I realized in that moment that he might never have the skills that others do, but that he was ok. He knew Jesus loved him. And that was more important than whether or not he could do my little activity. “How many go through life, not ever knowing that?” I thought.

But he did.

Not long after, I heard a message about Compassion. The pastor said the ultimate act of compassion was the cross – that compassion always leads us to action. That was a full circle moment for me.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, or to know all the reasons why bad things happen, but I do know what I believe God taught me that day – that “compassion” is one of the primary things God wants to teach us while we are on this earth, and that meeting the needs of others gives us an opportunity to learn it more completely.

Compassion is more than mere platitudes or feel-good one-liners on Facebook.

Compassion calls us to action.

Sympathy says, “I’ll pray for you.”

Compassion says, “Let’s bow our heads and let me pray with you right now.”

Sympathy says, “Let me know if you need anything.”

Compassion says, “I want to bring you a meal. What day is good?”

Empathy cries big tears and says, “I know just how you feel.”

Compassion says, “I’ll sit here with you, and you can talk or just be quiet. But I am here.”

The ultimate act of Compassion went all the way to Calvary, and gave all there was to give.

Lord, teach us.

We will follow You.

PRAYING IT SAFE

“The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20).

I have been thinking a lot lately about signs and wonders, and how they were a regular part of the life of the early church.

Should we expect the same types of things to happen as a regular occurrence in our churches today?

Some would say that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in that way was for that time, and we should not expect such things to happen now. I think many take this view because clearly, we are not experiencing signs and wonders as those did in the first days of the formation of the Church. “Miracles” are more the exception than the rule in the modern-day church.

But Jesus taught His disciples that their faith could move mountains, and I believe this teaching was for all believers, not just the first followers. The apostle Paul in Romans 8:11 says that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is in all believers, so it would follow that signs and wonders would be a part of the life of those who follow Christ. Throughout times of revival and unique outpourings of the Holy Spirit, there have been accompanying signs and wonders, such as healings.

I believe God wants us to pray with expectation.

But how often do we “hedge our bets,” or give God an “out,” so to speak?

How often, instead of praying bold prayers for healing or other needs, do we pray in such a way that reveals we don’t really believe God will do whatever it is we are asking?

Jesus said if we have even the faith of the smallest of seeds, a mustard seed, we can move (metaphorical) mountains, and that NOTHING is impossible with God.

Do we have that kind of faith?

We are called to pray bold prayers, and not play it safe, or “pray” it safe.

It’s prayer that will bring revival.

It’s prayer that will change the current reality.

It’s prayer, offered in faith, that makes the sick person well (James 5:15).

May the Church operate in the power of the Holy Spirit, and through prayer offered in faith, may we see an outpouring of God’s love and faithfulness as never before.

Don’t pray it safe.

Your Strong Tower

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runs into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

There is great importance in a name. Especially in Bible times, a name was an indication of who you were, your reputation, and your character. So in this verse, God’s name is meant to represent everything He is, everything we can count on that we know about Him.

When I read this Scripture recently, I pictured in my mind a medieval round tower, with turrets at the top and a huge wooden door. I pictured myself running to it, perhaps being pursued by some enemy out in the world, and shutting the heavy door once inside.

We can run to Him, Beloved. We can run to Him and all that He is, and shut the door behind us, free from anything that troubles us.

Whatever your need today, run to your Strong Tower.
Go in.
Shut the door behind you.
Be safe and rest in His Presence.

Just Stand

I was reminded recently of the Old Testament story of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, in second Chronicles 2. He was described as someone who sought God, and who “did not seek after the Baals.” Chapter 17 says “The Lord established the kingdom in his hand.”

Jehoshaphat had “great riches and honor.” At one point he allied himself with Ahab, one of the most wicked rulers of Israel. Together they went up against the people of Ramoth-Gilead, despite a prophetic warning that it would not end well for Ahab. Ahab was indeed struck in battle and died, while Jehoshaphat returned safely to his house in Jerusalem.

After that victory, Jehoshaphat fortified the cities and placed judges in them for the good of the people. All was well.

Soon various tribes rose up against Jehoshaphat. The Moabites and Ammonites were described to him by his leaders as “a great multitude…coming against you from beyond the sea.”

The Scripture says that “Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast against Judah” (2 Chronicles 20:3). All the people assembled to “seek help from the Lord.” Jehoshaphat stood in the house of the Lord and prayed.

He began, “O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in Heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.”

~ARE YOU NOT?

His next statement is, “Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?” He reminds God that they built a house for Him, and Jehoshaphat vows that even if disaster comes, they will stand in the house before God, “…for your name is in this house.”

~DID YOU NOT?

He then tells God about the threat from the men of Ammon, Moab and Mount Sier. Then comes the next question, “Will you not execute judgement on them? For we are powerless against this great hoard that is coming against us.

~WILL YOU NOT?

Like many of us have done at some points in our lives, he prays, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

Then came a word from the Lord through Jahaziel, a Levite. He said, “Do not be afraid, and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” He gives instructions to go up against the enemy the next day. He says they will not even need to fight but simply stand firm and hold their position. He promises the Lord will be with them.

They went out early the next morning, and Jehoshaphat said, “Believe in the Lord your God and you will be established.”

He then appointed the singers to go before the army and they marched ahead and said,

“Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

And the Scripture says, “WHEN they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.”

The groups began to fight each other and were destroyed without Jehoshaphat’s army ever lifting a finger.

If we look back on our lives, we will see how we are able to pray a similar prayer.

ARE YOU NOT? – You are Creator of all and worthy of our praise.

DID YOU NOT? You have worked time and again in our lives; we just have to remember.

WILL YOU NOT? You are with us now, and you will do it again!

There are so many lessons we can take away from this story.

Here are a few:

~When you don’t know what to do, keep your eyes on the Lord

~Don’t be afraid, but trust in God

~In every circumstance, the battle is the Lord’s

~Victory follows praise

~You don’t have to fight; you just have to stand

Who Am I?

Imposter Syndrome – have you heard of it?

It’s the feeling someone gets that they are not really qualified to be in a certain position or speak to a certain situation, even though they do in fact have the qualifications.

I remember having this feeling as a new occupational therapist just starting out. I had the knowledge, but putting it into practice is an entirely different thing.

As I have entered a new season of writing about Biblical topics, I sometimes have this same feeling. I have not been to seminary, but I have done a great deal of study as a layperson and audited a few seminary classes. Still, sometimes I think, “Who am I, to be writing about such weighty things?”.

Imposter Syndrome seems to be a common malady when someone is given a job to do and is wading into the unknown.

I’m reminded of the story of Moses and the burning bush. God met Moses there and told him his assignment. But right away Moses comes in with his excuses, “Who am I?” he says, “that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He could not conceive that he had what it took, that anyone would believe his experience, that it was his mission to free his people.

God’s answer to Moses is “I will be with you.” Shouldn’t that be enough? But still Moses doubts and wants more information. He wants to put more of the pieces in place before he goes forward.

How like us – we want all the answers before we begin. Instead of taking a first step in faith, we want to plan and calculate, and have everything figured out, often to the point where not much faith is even required.

Moses begins to reason, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”

God answers with, “I AM WHO I AM.”

So while Moses says, “Who am I?”, God answers with, “I AM.”

“I AM the God of your fathers.”

“I AM” has heard the cry of his people and He will deliver them.

He is everything we need, and He will equip us for what He calls us to do.

So the next time you feel that prompting, that nudge to do something bold for the Kingdom, don’t ask “Who am I?”

Instead, trust in “I AM.”

There Is Jesus

In Matthew 25, Jesus gives us a picture of him separating people as a Shepherd would separate sheep from goats. The “sheep,” who saw the hurting and met their needs, will inherit the kingdom prepared for them before the foundation of the world. The “goats,” who did not care for those around them, will be separated from him.

How we loved and lived out the gospel matters. Did we feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned?

Sometimes we need the reminder that when we see anyone in need, there is Jesus.

He loves each one.
He made each one in His image.

And He wants us to see each one in every face we gaze into.

I’m reminded of the powerful quote from Les Miserables –
“To love another is to see the face of God.”

There Is Jesus

Each person you see
Is different in some way
But made in God’s image
He is the one who molded the clay

Jesus became one of us
The Word became flesh
He taught us God’s truth
Words of life and rest

He said when we see those
Hungry or in need
Sick or in prison
Naked or thirsty

We’re looking at Him
He told us so
When we care for the least of these
It’s as though

We’re doing it for Him
As we feed hungry mouths
Welcome the stranger
Or wipe a fevered brow

So be careful what you do
Because He is among us
Wherever you see a need
There is Jesus

~Michelle Dowdy

Pick It Up

Pick It Up

The paralyzed man’s friends wanted to get him in the Presence of Jesus, but there was no room in the house where He was teaching. So what did they do? They formulated a plan. This plan had a little “redneck” in it, and I can only imagine the conversation and ingenuity that went into the plan – but they took the tiles off the roof of the house and lowered the man down on his mat, right into crowded room.

The Scripture says when Jesus saw “their faith,” he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Right away this should bring to mind how important the right friends are. The right friends will bring you to Jesus, will pray for you, will be there for you. No doubt the man’s own faith also played a part, because presumably he agreed to the plan, so when Jesus said, “their faith,” he was likely referring to all of them.

Then Jesus said to the man, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” The spiritual healing was followed by the physical healing. The Scripture says this man was paralyzed – not just debilitated and maybe he could muster up the strength to get up at various times – but paralyzed in some way. So his ability to rise as Jesus instructed him caused amazement in the whole room.

Why did Jesus include the instruction for the man to pick up his bed?

Could it be that he wanted the man to know he was not coming back to that place, to the place of needing the mat? What was the man’s response? He picked it up and “went home, glorifying God.” He immediately gave praise and honor where it was due. The mat, the thing that had supported him, he now had control of.

How many of us, though, when Jesus has done great things for us, don’t pick up our mat, so to speak, but continue to try and lie in the mess he saved us from? Maybe we leave the “mat,” in case we want to go back to it; we allow it to control us rather than us having control of it.

Don’t leave the remnant of your problem, but pick it up, and put it in its proper place.

Don’t let the past you’ve overcome be a part of your future.

(Luke 5:17-26)

A Moment

We sing a song called “Here I Am,” and one of the lines is,

“A moment in Your presence can change my whole direction.”

Everything can change in a moment.

Any number of decisions made in a moment can have lasting effects.

But what about a moment when God meets you?

When He turns it all around.

A moment with Him can change everything.

I think about those kinds of moments sprinkled throughout the gospels where people met Jesus.

Jesus cast seven demons from Mary Magdalene, and she became one of his followers.

And who was it that came to the empty tomb first, the one who first announced his resurrection?

Mary Magdalene – the one with the questionable past who was forever changed by Him.

It matters not where you’ve come from, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done.

He can change you too, in a moment.

The Manna Didn’t Keep

Remember how, in the wilderness, when God sent the Israelites manna, they were told to only collect enough for that day? He said he was about to “rain bread from heaven” for them (Exodus 16:4). Each was to bring in enough for their family, so some had more, some less, but everyone had a day’s supply. If they tried to store it overnight, it spoiled and bred worms.

The manna didn’t keep.

It was miraculous provision, but only for a day. It was a test of sorts, a matter of trusting God each day to give what was needed.

It was enough.

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray and said, “Give us this day our daily bread,” He was no doubt thinking about this very instance, were God’s people learned the lesson of trusting Him for their daily needs.

In John 6, Jesus says that He is the bread of life, the bread that has come down from heaven. He said, “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (v. 49-51).

He is the daily bread we need.

We can trust in Him.

How Does Your Church Grow?

How is your church going, or rather, growing?

Human growth and development can be a metaphor for so many things. The formation of an embryo is not unlike church growth. It starts out with a few cells. Those cells begin to differentiate and form organs with different functions – the heart, the brain, the liver, the muscles, etc. The skeleton begins to form, the neural tube “zips up,” and then we have a structure that can hold the baby up.

The same can be said of the church. A church may begin with a handful of people with a dream to reach a community for Christ and minister to each other. As the fellowship grows, it needs a structure – a structure of deacons and elders as the New Testament prescribes. As those with different gifts come into the fellowship, the church puts those in place to fulfill different areas of ministry. We need the “heart” of Children’s ministry, the “brain” of teaching ministry, the “muscle” to go out into the community with the gospel, and on and on the examples could go.

We don’t all have the same gifts or the same function, but we are all members of one body. (1 Corinthians 12:4-5, Romans 12:4-5).

Where do you fit into the Body? What is your function within it?
Are you in a church that will help you find out if you don’t know?

All those who are a part of the Body of Christ have a gift, and a role to play (1 Cor. 12).