It was a tough LOL (student ministry) meeting last night due to the topic of suicide. One of the high school students that most of the student know took his life a week ago and its such a tragedy. Its hard to comprehend all that was behind that decision. What most kids described as a kid who was liked, grounded in Christ, friendly and outgoing and then something like this just sends a jolt out to all those around. Its like a giant shock wave and nothing is hidden from its affects. Ministering to students during this time if often difficult. There are tough questions, feelings and tears. It really is a mess and as I sat and listened to Travis teach a great message from his heart last night I couldn't help but to think about the family. There is a loss in their hearts today. Minds probably thinking, what if I did this or what if I did that. What if I could have noticed, if someone would have noticed.
For a few long days - I too lost a daughter when Kate decided to run away. She wanted to end the disappointment that she thought was causing everyone. She was at her ends so she thought and running away to get away from it all was her answer. If only I could go away - I could end everybody trouble if I just disappeared. What if I could have done something, say something, noticed something - I wouldn't have lost my daughter for that long week either.
My heart is heavy when it comes to kids, families and people who are suffering. I lead a team of student every month to go to the Center of Hope in Charlotte which is the womens and children homeless shelter through the Salvation Army. We serve a meal to these moms and their children and my heart just breaks for them. I wonder how did get here. Thankful that they are here with warmth and a roof over their heads. But really, how did they get here? A few bad decisions, a dad walking out on them, a drug habit, over spending and living one less paycheck ... I mean who really knows. For some its all they know. Mental illness or a family who has given up on them.
For me, I have not given up on them and the hurt I have in my heart for them drives me to make a difference, to share with them that someone cares, someone is willing to give a little, and step out of the comfort zone to help. If its someone elses job to minister to these people, then nothing will be done. Together we can make a difference and for many reasons, its why Jesus said sell everything you have, give it to the poor and follow him.

Romans 8:26 - In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

So often my heart is so heavy for people that I don't even know where to start to pray. I take in my troubled niece who breaks my heart when I think about her story in life. God is not done with her story yet just the same as the folks I will meet and serve a meal to on Sunday. Its the same for the students in my life and they are struggling with things. He is not done in my own life.
This brings me to my next family core value - Compassion.

Compassion by definition - "co-suffering", one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy for the suffering of others are regarded as apart of love itself.

That really just blows me away to be honest. As I look at the hurting people in my life, I have such compassion for them. I too suffer when they are hurting. I have one of my close kids in my life who is struggling with things and I too am struggling along side her. Its my shoulders that want to carry some of the weight. It is that inner heart that wants to reach out, make things better, to help in some way. I see my son Kyle wanting to wrestle so bad that it hurts me when he is hurting. When his grandma and grandpa passed, it hurt me to see him crying but I rejoice in knowing his faith in Christ took the lead in his life.
There are websites for compassion kids. These are lost children who have nothing, poor, some with no parents, horrid living conditions, no food or medicine and nobody to love on them and care for them. Most people when they see that on TV quickly turn the channel because it disturbs them. If they just stayed a few more minutes watching, maybe their hearts would be moved and they would get off the couch to do something.
Often times when people are at a place where compassion is a tough thing or maybe a season or 2 has really put them somewhere were just feeling something for someone else is hard - they find themselves in a really tough place.

When your heart gets layered over by protectiveness because of a tough season or a few years of ministry hits on the heart, you become less sensitive to the hearts of others.

If you find yourself there at this place today - you really need to have an honest reflection. I am doing that in this season of time.....

Compassion in the family means to me to stick together. To keep our eyes and focus on the others in our families before ourselves. Compassion is doing something as it cannot be idle, how can we have compassion over someone and not do something about it? Meet the needs of others because we are all member of one body. That body is of Christ.
Jesus had compassion on people. That is why he healed them, walked with them, touched them - he had such great compassion on them.
Matthew 15:32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."

Loved ones, Jesus cares about where your heart is today. There is no small detail that God himself does not know about nor want to hear about from you. Speak out your needs no matter how big or small. Serve someone with a compassionate heart knowing you are serving as if you have Christs hands and feet. Reaching out and making a difference not only changes the person who you are serving and have compassion for, it also changes you.

For about a year now, I have been hearing, reading, listening and experiencing in a small way what NewSpring church has been doing in their Compassion Outreach to Kenya. I have wanted to go and experience this with them, share with them, to help share Jesus with the people of Kenya - God is doing amazing things through this mission field and the vision that God has given the people of this church. I am at a place where the time has come to go. I had a student who worked for me last semester and every summer he went to a different country to share the gospel, to minister to the people there - Mexico, China, where ever - he comes back changed every single time. I love to hear the stories, the hearts that he touched, hearing the conditions of others and how they live and the desperate hope they need - it touches me every time I think about it. One of my other students, she and her husband went to Haiti for a week to help the people there.
It is time to be part of that great mission work. It is time to let the compassion overflow out of my heart.
Compassion for others is meeting them where they are and looking at them eye to eye and saying - I am there for you.

Success - You don't own success. You wouldn't have success if it wasn't for Jesus. He owns it but the difference between him and us is he wants to share it. We want to keep it for ourselves. Its all about me ...... its all about you .... with Jesus its all about what He has done and all the things we do through him. ~ D. Waltrip

Step up and step out ~

Lonnie~