Compassionate Care for those Beaten-up by Life

Recently, at church, I was talking to a young, single mother of three small children. After the customary "small talk," I talked to her about what the church could do to help her, at which she began to beam a smile, and proceeded to tell me all the things the church, and several members individually, had already done for her! She finished up our conversation by saying, "This church has a big heart." Needless to say, I was as proud right then as any parent is of a child with a straight "A" report card. Having just started at Waynesboro a few weeks ago I don't yet have knowledge of all the details of our different ministries and thus was not aware of what had been done for this young lady and her family. God has truly been glorified, through the church, in the eyes of this single mother and is it not supposed to be this way?

As we pray for and work toward growth in the body one thing will always happen, the church will change. It's inevitable. We don't have to change in doctrine but the physical make up of the church changes and will reflect the demographics of our community. That means we begin to see more divorced-single parents, more divorced and married again couples, more never married-single parents, etc. As the church, we must be prepared to offer not only the message of Christ but also the compassion of Christ to these people.

If the church is growing, its appearance will change. This could become uncomfortable for some people. Any change is uncomfortable, but when people start to show up who don't "look like us" then a lot of people get figety and fast. While we certainly shouldn't condone sinfulness in anyones life, if we are spreading the message of salvation we will certainly be running into a few people with sin in their life. It was Jesus who said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. . . For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:12, 13b)

I pray that everyone who encounters Christ, through means of the church, will come away with the same experience as that young lady. We first must show people that we care about them and their families. After the pressing concerns of life have been taken care of, then people can clearly focus on Christ. It is hard, near impossible, for a mother or father to think about anything, including their eternity, when their children are in need of food or they have no place to live.

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)