Charity or compassion. Both are good. But charity is simply offering a hand out. When we act with charity, we take some of "our" stuff and give it to someone else. We write the obligatory check or dutifully offer our time. Then we go back to our life. We are aware of the gift, but it is somewhat of an interruption to "our" lives.
When we act with compassion we get drawn into the moment. We feel the pain of those whom we are helping. Our things become God's things. Our time becomes God's time. When we act with compassion, all children are our children. We begin to live the life of love and don't even know it. Our total being becomes tied up in reaching or helping the person or cause. We become blissfully self-unaware.
I was hungry and you fed me.
When were you hungry and we fed you?
To live the life of compassion is to live the life of love. It is to live the life of Christ.
When you give to the church, are you living out of charity or compassion? When you think about Joplin or Mozambique, does your response come from charity or compassion? May we not give or act out begrudgingly, but with joy, for God loves a cheerful giver.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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