Compassion

I'm going to take this opportunity to vent about some of the issues that have been weighing heavily on my heart lately.

Not all of you live in Arizona, but if you do you have probably noticed a major increase of child abuse cases in the news, sometimes fatal ones, such as the case of Ame Deal, a 10-year-old girl who died in a footlocker or 6-year-old Jacob Gibson who is currently on life support with a head injury. Even though these stories are horrific I am always drawn towards reading them, partly to satisfy my curiosity and also because my heart breaks for these children and I cannot understand how anyone would ever hurt a child. There is so much injustice in our own backyard. Oftentimes these problems are often very complex and result from years and years of generational abuse.

Aside from abuse, there are so many problems that children face around the world. For example, in Kenya there is a massive famine and drought that is forcing entire families into filthy refugee camps, and causing parents to leave behind their dying children on the journey to these camps in order to save their other surviving children. My heart is torn apart reading stories like these. What is crazy to me is that in America and other developed nations, food and water are so plentiful,  and yet these children in Africa are starving to death. We badly need to redistribute the world's wealth to the countries and people that need it most. This is a big statement to make, and I know that it will require huge shifts not only to the world's politics and economies, but also to the compassion of our hearts. Especially as Christians, hearing about hurting people on the other side of the world shouldn't just be a sidebar to our day, where we read the story and then take for granted heading to the faucet and taking a big gulp of clean, pure water from the tap or opening up the fridge and eating a variety of fresh, nutritious, delicious food. It should make us uncomfortable, it should stir something deep within us that Jesus has put there -compassion. We need to take action by doing anything we can. I'm not saying I want to feel guilty about drinking tapwater or about going to the grocery store, but I need to be seeking ways that I can help others because I have been so blessed. Sponsoring a child through World Vision is a great way to start. Zanura Salimu Luhilila is our little 5-year-old we are sponsoring from Tanzania, and even though I have never met her, I love her so much. I feel that news corporations should be broadcasting these news stories more often and making it impossible for Americans to ignore the dying children that share the planet with us.

Another thing that really tugs at my heart are hurting animals. I used to not be very compassionate towards animals, mostly because I had never raised one on my own. But having Mumford has changed all of that. Being responsible for all of his needs has stirred up my motherly instincts, and now whenever I see a dog or a cat I think of him. I frequently check back on the Halo Animal Rescue website, where we found Mumford, to look at the dogs or cats for adoption, and I pray that they will find forever homes with good owners. My motto is now "Adopt, Don't Shop", because there are so many homeless animals coming to the Humane Society each day (121 a day, to be exact) who need loving homes that there's no need to go to a puppy store. Plus, they are available for adoption for much cheaper than pet stores or breeders. Check out http://www.azhumane.org/project121/. I think I am going to start volunteering at a pet shelter soon, because there are so many cats and dogs that just need someone to pet them and be a companion to them while they recover from wounds and wait for new homes.

Anyway, sorry to write such a lengthy post. This is not typical for me. But the issues of child abuse, child malnutrition and pet overpopulation are burning on my heart right now, and I feel obligated to share so that maybe some of you will be inspired to do something. Whether you are thinking about sponsoring a child or adopting a homeless puppy or kitty, you will be so happy that you did :)