Compassion Unveiled
2 Corinthians 1:3- Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
When I was growing up in the small town of Edgewood, I had a complete family. My parents were still together at that time, and I have a younger sister and brother. One set of grandparents lived close by and the other set lived only an hour away. Aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins did as well. We were all together.
Both of my grandmothers were, or are, strong Christian women. Their faith has been lived out loud. Their faithfulness to serve was strongly evident to me as I grew. My Nannie, who is my mom’s mother, was a pastor’s wife and I saw her teach Sunday School, play the organ, minister to the women of the church even before there were “Women’s Ministries,” she supported my Papa, and she loved much. I still remember vividly the trip home after church as Nannie and Papa talked amongst themselves about who was there, who was not, who needed prayer or a visit, who they laughed with and who they cried with. She gave her heart in extreme love to everyone she knew, and she still does.
In the summers, I would spend a week with my Grandmother, my dad’s mother. She was a seamstress, and displayed her beautiful talent to me in her service to the community. She loved her Sunday School Class and was dedicated to the women who attended with her, and to the women on the block, whom I became close to through her. She was also very dedicated to her family and to her faith.
In high school, I met a friend through the high school band. We became close friends fast. She was fun to be with, and her family was also very close and they were open to accepting me into the fold. They were also very active in their church, were fine musicians and a very loving family. They quickly became very important to me, and still are.
Especially Grannie. She is the matriarch of the family. Her family loves her because she demonstrates her love for them in such a constant and unconditional way. Her Bible knowledge is extensive and her faith in God, infectious. When Grannie prays for you, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the heavens are in tune. She demonstrates power and extreme grace in her faith. She taught me much and I long for her touch and her presence even now as we are miles apart.
Yet, even tho the miles are many, the closeness in our faith is still insurmountable. When she needs me, God puts her burden on my heart, and the opposite is true. When I need encouragement or intervention, she is who I call.
I have had many fine examples of faith to pattern my life after, thankfully. The older women in my life have been my mentors and they took the role seriously, obeying the call from God to raise up a child, to encourage, teach, and to comfort.
In the coming months here at FBC, the Women’s Ministry will be implementing a Mentoring Program. This is a passion of mine, because I have seen too many women suffer through life’s ups and downs with no compassion or help from her peers, and I’ve even been one myself. This is an abomination in the eyes of God. Please be in prayer about your part in this important aspect of our Women’s Ministry. God wants to use us to minister to other women, I’m assured of that, and it’s a calling that we cannot run from.
Be watching for more information to come on training and planning for this new Mentoring Program. But mostly, I want YOUR name on the list of prospects for “mentor” or “mentoree.” My passion is that every woman with a need will have someone to walk through it with her, and that every woman who has walked through a storm and received the comfort from God through it, will offer her compassionate support to others. We never walk alone, God is always with us. I’m calling you to be “God with skin on” to someone who needs you.
Let’s pray: Thank you, Father God, for Your perfect will, for Your perfect example of love and compassion in Jesus, and for Your call to the women at First Baptist Church, Huntsville. Fill us with that love as women and cause us to spread that love to others in our church and in the community. Allow us to offer comfort to the hurting, compassion to the troubled, and safety to the battered of heart.
2 Corinthians 1:3- Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."
When I was growing up in the small town of Edgewood, I had a complete family. My parents were still together at that time, and I have a younger sister and brother. One set of grandparents lived close by and the other set lived only an hour away. Aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins did as well. We were all together.
Both of my grandmothers were, or are, strong Christian women. Their faith has been lived out loud. Their faithfulness to serve was strongly evident to me as I grew. My Nannie, who is my mom’s mother, was a pastor’s wife and I saw her teach Sunday School, play the organ, minister to the women of the church even before there were “Women’s Ministries,” she supported my Papa, and she loved much. I still remember vividly the trip home after church as Nannie and Papa talked amongst themselves about who was there, who was not, who needed prayer or a visit, who they laughed with and who they cried with. She gave her heart in extreme love to everyone she knew, and she still does.
In the summers, I would spend a week with my Grandmother, my dad’s mother. She was a seamstress, and displayed her beautiful talent to me in her service to the community. She loved her Sunday School Class and was dedicated to the women who attended with her, and to the women on the block, whom I became close to through her. She was also very dedicated to her family and to her faith.
In high school, I met a friend through the high school band. We became close friends fast. She was fun to be with, and her family was also very close and they were open to accepting me into the fold. They were also very active in their church, were fine musicians and a very loving family. They quickly became very important to me, and still are.
Especially Grannie. She is the matriarch of the family. Her family loves her because she demonstrates her love for them in such a constant and unconditional way. Her Bible knowledge is extensive and her faith in God, infectious. When Grannie prays for you, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the heavens are in tune. She demonstrates power and extreme grace in her faith. She taught me much and I long for her touch and her presence even now as we are miles apart.
Yet, even tho the miles are many, the closeness in our faith is still insurmountable. When she needs me, God puts her burden on my heart, and the opposite is true. When I need encouragement or intervention, she is who I call.
I have had many fine examples of faith to pattern my life after, thankfully. The older women in my life have been my mentors and they took the role seriously, obeying the call from God to raise up a child, to encourage, teach, and to comfort.
In the coming months here at FBC, the Women’s Ministry will be implementing a Mentoring Program. This is a passion of mine, because I have seen too many women suffer through life’s ups and downs with no compassion or help from her peers, and I’ve even been one myself. This is an abomination in the eyes of God. Please be in prayer about your part in this important aspect of our Women’s Ministry. God wants to use us to minister to other women, I’m assured of that, and it’s a calling that we cannot run from.
Be watching for more information to come on training and planning for this new Mentoring Program. But mostly, I want YOUR name on the list of prospects for “mentor” or “mentoree.” My passion is that every woman with a need will have someone to walk through it with her, and that every woman who has walked through a storm and received the comfort from God through it, will offer her compassionate support to others. We never walk alone, God is always with us. I’m calling you to be “God with skin on” to someone who needs you.
Let’s pray: Thank you, Father God, for Your perfect will, for Your perfect example of love and compassion in Jesus, and for Your call to the women at First Baptist Church, Huntsville. Fill us with that love as women and cause us to spread that love to others in our church and in the community. Allow us to offer comfort to the hurting, compassion to the troubled, and safety to the battered of heart.
I thought you might like to meet my puppy, Zhu Zhu. He's a Lhasa Apso, is very loyal, spoiled rotten, and sometimes hard to live with. But such a blessing!
