Why Not Us?

“Compassion without action is just empathy.” 

Those are simple words, but they demand a difficult response.

On Sunday, we had the privilege of having Jay Mooney, the Executive Director of Compact Family Services, share his heart with us on the subject of orphan care and adoption.  It was an emotional message about how the Church needs to step up and begin to aggressively act to change this great need in our country.  While my heart was broken over some of the facts and stats he shared, that simple line about compassion without action is what stuck with me the most from his message.  That thought has challenged my heart in ways far beyond just the subject about which he was speaking on Sunday.

“Compassion without action is just empathy.  Like faith without works, compassion without action is dead.”

I started thinking about all the times I’d felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to respond to a need.  I’d like to think that more often than not I responded to that prompting in the appropriate way but, unfortunately, if a real tally were to be made, I’d be afraid that I might be ashamed of the amount of times my response amounted to nothing more than a, “Yeah God, you’re right, somebody should really do something about that.”

As I sat and contemplated these thoughts, I heard the Holy Spirit challenge me with a question.  “What if the next time you say to yourself, ‘Someone should really do something about that,’ you followed up with the question, ‘Why not me?’”

“Ugh…God, can I just politely file that away as one of those things that’s nice to feel challenged about but then never actually do anything with?  No?  Well then, we’ve got some work to do.”

What would it even look like to live that way?  Well, we don't have to look any farther than the Gospels to see the example that Jesus set for us.  Throughout the story of Jesus’ ministry, we find example after example where Jesus’ heart was moved with compassion for people, and then he turned that compassion into action to meet their need.  He was never so busy, and his agenda was never so important, that he couldn’t be sidetracked to respond to the needs of the sick, hurting, demon-possessed, spiritually broken, homeless, fatherless, diseased, thirsty, or hungry people he encountered each day.

Okay, but what about…you know…real life, where all of us who aren’t Jesus have to try to do all this stuff? 

Well, I want to share a story about my aunt and uncle, who are two of the most selfless people I know.  A few winters ago their son-in-law, Tim, found a homeless man that he had encountered several times before living in an abandoned building.  For whatever reason, that night the Holy Spirit prompted him to respond differently.  So he bought the man a cheeseburger and sat and talked with him for a while.  The man’s name was Eddy, and he had a son named Edison, who he loved dearly.  Eddy shared with Tim the story of how he had come to be in his current situation and was overwhelmed with emotion that this stranger would take the time to give him a sandwich and talk with him.

That night, Tim came home and relayed his encounter with Eddy to my aunt and uncle, and they were filled with compassion.  They decided that somebody should do something to help Eddy, and followed up with the question, “Why not us?”  So they tracked Eddy down, and over the course of the next few months he basically became a part of their family.  They rented him an apartment, leveraged personal relationships to help him get a job, invited him to meals and holidays, made sure he had groceries, helped him get clothing for work, and ensured that Edison was provided for.

My uncle told me about the first time they brought Eddy to church with their family.  Upon hearing the gospel for the first time, Eddy sat in his chair and wept.  Eddy wanted to be saved but was afraid that he couldn’t do it because he didn’t have any money.  My uncle said that he has never seen such an expression of pure joy than when he told Eddy that it was free, and that Jesus had already paid the cost. Eddy ran to the altar.  He continued to come to church with them every Sunday.

Eddy continued to be a big part of their lives until a few months later, as he was walking to the house where his son lived, he was struck by a car and tragically passed away.

What would’ve happened if they would’ve heard Eddy’s story, felt the compassion, but never acted upon it?  We will probably never know the full extent of how their involvement changed Eddy’s life, and how their continued involvement in Edison’s life will change the course of his future.

This is not just a one-time action for them, either.  They are regularly doing things for people that make me think, “This is what it must’ve been like to be around Jesus.” 

What if we all lived like that just a little bit more?  What if, when we feel the Holy Spirit drawing our attention to a need, instead of waiting for someone else to do it we simply ask, “Why not us?”  This church has an amazing capacity to meet the needs of those around us and even around the world.  We are already doing that in so many ways, as evidenced by all of the families who stood Sunday that have either adopted or fostered.  But I believe we can still do so much more, and it starts with asking one simple question:

Why not us?

Written by: Travis Buerky

Edited by: Jenelle Kelly