Sympathy: an extension of empathetic concern, or the perception, understanding and reactions to the distress or need of another human being.
Compassion: a virtue in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy for the suffering of others are regarded as part of love itself.
Action: Something done as to accomplish a purpose.
I recently heard of some research indicating there is a compassion gene. I couldn’t tell you done where or by whom because I never remember those things, but I’m sure you could google it. When I heard about the study, I knew that I may have inherited genes from those that don’t have it. Although sometimes painful, compassion comes naturally for me. But often this is where it stops. The situation saddens me, I desire change, but I take no action.
Sunday night I started a new book, Barefoot Church Primer: An eight-week guide to serving through community by Brandon Hatmaker. And yes, I am reading all things Hatmaker these days.
Brandon references James. Not a verse or chapter, but the whole book. I began to read, but let’s be honest, it was 9:30 and I’m not going to make it through that whole book. So I resolved to read James 1 and pray about what it is telling me. The verse I am very familiar with in this passage is
James 1:27: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
But this time something different stood out:
James 22-26: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does.
I realized later that this was also a scripture read during church that morning, is that why it stood out? I don’t know. But I read it again: Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.
That is a charge. I prayed about what this means and I drifted off to sleep. About an hour later I startled awake from a dream in fear. I hesitate to write it down because it was so painful. I hesitate but feel I should.
I am walking down the street of a foreign country with Sarah Bess. I have no idea which country, but the people look Asian and we are in a market of sorts. I am filled with joy at having this special one on one time with her. We even hold hands at times. It is Blissful. I turn my back…for literally a second…to look at a stall selling jewelry, and she is gone. Fear sets in. I frantically look around and I see her talking to a young girl. They are holding hands. Behind them I see an older woman talking to a man. And instantly I Know. With every part of my being, I Know. She is trying to sell my daughter to this man. I run over, grab Sarah Bess and glare at this woman as I back away clinging to my daughter.
I wake in fear. Begging the Lord almost to leave me alone. I can’t think about girls just like Sarah Bess all over the world in this situation and not Do something.
So I am resolving to move beyond sympathy and compassion to doing. I had already signed this petition and I beg you to as well: IJM Justice Petition. It only takes a moment, please think of your daughter, your niece, your friend. Do something.
Some other simple steps you can take today:
1. Become an IJM Prayer Partner
3. Educate yourself by reading:
Some more complicated steps you can begin to consider as a family:
1. Think about what you are buying, where it came from and who made it
2. Shop at local stores or stores where you feel confident the workers are making a living wage (see some links below)
3. Download the fair-trade app here.
4. Pray. Pray with Boldness. For there to be no more child slaves. No more slaves at all.
Some places to shop:
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