Compassion
I never thought I was a stingy person, until I met my husband. He is generous and kind and always thinks of others. I am definitely more calculated and I only give when it is comfortable to do so. But, that all started to change for me this past Christmas. Well, the story starts in 2022, with a child.
My Story
About 2 years ago, my church did a charity drive for Compassion (https://www.compassion.com/). Compassion is an organization that frees children from poverty. We decided to sponsor a child, but if I’m being honest, I did so with apathy.
Uganda is far away, and although I (in theory) was happy to support someone, I didn’t grasp that our sponsored child was a “real” person.
But, we had the money, so we went with it. Our sponsored child, to me, was just a name that I knew we were supposedly helping, but I felt little else…until recently.
Not long ago, my family and I left a comfortable financial situation and began a new life with less income and more expenses. I don’t have to tell you how hard that can be. This economy is tough, and any change can drastically alter your way of life. And, it drastically altered ours.
We went from a cozy home to a cramped room, financial freedom to just having enough, and adventurous weekends to weekends spent home.
And yet, we still have more than we need.
We still have more than we need.
In fact, we still live in relative abundance. We eat three meals a day, we have a roof over our heads, we have phones, computers, hobbies, and cars, and we have money to spare. But when we first left our cushy lifestyle, I just complained.
Looking back, I wish I could have used my energy for better things. But I’ve learned a lot.
I learned that focusing on my wants-my comfort-makes me miserable. I allowed my supposed lack to consume my thoughts. My attitude got so bad that it drained my joy and hurt my husband.
But then, we got a letter from Compassion reminding us to give our sponsored child a Christmas gift.
So, we did.
And something shifted inside of me. I started to care for our sponsored child all the way over in Uganda.
I was reminded that there are people in this world that lack basic necessities such as food, clothes, a roof over their heads, clean water, health care….and here I am complaining about not having enough room to store all my stuff.
The Problem
Do you relate? Do you feel so attached to your way of life that any change in it will make you miserable? I hope it’s just me, but seeing how most of the Western World acts, I think it’s a larger problem.
YouTube is full of shopping hauls, displays of massive collections, reviews on the latest gadgets…this content reflects the heart of our society: lust for self-gratification.
Are you happy when you get everything you want? Probably. But at what expense? What would happen if everything you have gets taken away? Will you still be happy?
What would happen if everything you have gets taken away? Will you still be happy?
I lost my happiness when we left our life-situation. I let my lust of self-gratification be more important than anything else. I was so miserable, like many Americans are.
So how do we fix it?
The Solution
I’m not sure that it is a problem that we can just leave. But, I think there are things we can do to start turning things around. My husband challenged me to find another charity to support.
I found two.
And, it’s slowly changing the way I think. Putting other people’s needs before my wants is showing me how to be grateful for everything I do have.
I know that the economy is hard right now, but I encourage you to find a place that makes real impact and give what you can. Instead of buying a new game, new make up, fast food, spend that money on someone that can’t give back to you. That may be a parent, a friend, or a charity, but be intentional and try to be anonymous. You will find that your heart changes.
The quote encouraging me today is, “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver” (Maya Angelou). And liberate it does.
Comment your favorite charities below, and don’t forget to smile!
My Top Charities
Compassion: https://www.compassion.com/
Agape International Missions: https://aimfree.org/
Save the Storks: https://savethestorks.com/