Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 21

Highlight Verse:

“Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I work in downtown Denver. To say that homelessness is a problem there is a massive understatement.

While I feel for those who are stuck in homelessness, it’s hard to translate that compassion to action.

On the one hand, homeless advocates usually advise people not to give cash directly to those asking for help as there is a good chance that it will just feed the addictions that put them on the street in the first place.

On the other, there’s only so many care packages they can use.

And then there was that one panhandler I saw running across the street with his walker in one hand and basket on a broom handle in the other. Call me a cynic, but I don’t think it was a miraculous healing.

Of course, one way is to help those in your immediate community who are in need.

In the past, there have been several times when I have been helped, sometimes with amazing generosity. I have done my best to pay that forward to others in need.

Another way is to give and volunteer for organizations who reach out to the poor. Locally, the Denver Rescue Mission does an amazing job helping people.

For us, the primary way is through child sponsorship (Compassion Intl, etc.) and supporting a missionary friend making a difference among the poor in Honduras (Via Love Intl).

No matter how much we have given, we have always found that you can’t out give God.

The blessings we get in return are priceless.

What do you think is the best way to put compassion into action?
Do you have any good stories of when you have been helped or helped others? Share them!