Hope

I have been trying to make good use of this quiet morning to work on some neglected projects. We are on the road again. John is in a meeting and I have some time to read, study or write without even the possibility of a sink of dirty dishes to distract me. But I am distracted. Just before we left the house, I mean like 10 seconds before I went out the door, I grabbed a book off the self to look at on the way. I am one of those blessed people who can read in the car (when I am not sleeping, which I also do a lot in a car).

The book I pulled off the shelf was Beyond Hunger, by Art Beals. I don’t agree with everything he says in the book, but he does make some very good points about the importance of compassion vs pity. He says, for example “Hope springs from a heart of compassion; despair is the product of a heart full of pity.” He quotes A LOT of scripture supporting the idea that we who are followers of Christ are supposed to be interested and involved in acts of compassion.

Add to that an internet link about Christian involvement in working for justice, esp. about the conditions RIGHT NOW in Burma that I received from the Trinity Forum (where Hannah lived and studied last year). (www.ttf.org/index/conversations/detail/human-rights-activisim)

Add to that the emails that we have received from our own mission and other Christian groups explaining how recent economic developments have created serious financial problems for them.

Add to that the fact that Hannah, who I consider a tremendously gifted person, is still without a paying job.

Add to that the people I saw sleeping on the street as we drove through Tegucigalpa on a Sunday afternoon.

I am feeling thoughtful and distracted.

What is supposed to be our Christian response to needs in the world, needs in our own backyard when economic times are not so good? I know that I (the champion worrier in our family) am concerned about how we can manage to not be a burden on our children when we retire. I wish I could buy those cool gifts I see in the stores for my nieces and nephews. I want to go see my first grandchild when he or she is born next year (Yeah, I get to be a Grandma). And then, there are Darfur and Burma, and hurting people in my own community.

I am not depressed, just thoughtful. I want to use wisely the resources God gives me. I don’t want to close my fist to those in need because maybe I don’t have as much extra this year as I had last year. I want to live with a spirit of hope. As I used to say so often to my kids, “No one can help everyone, but everybody can help somebody.”