Win of the Week

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls...

You've made it through another week!

Congratulations!

Personally, this was one of the longest weeks of my life. Between mourning the loss of a good friend's child and waiting for my acceptance/denial letter into my Master's Program (which still hasn't come), I'm tired. Exhausted. Spent. Kaput.

So I don't know about you, but I had a pretty rough week.

But, regardless of circumstance, we celebrate. Regardless of whether we enjoyed the week, we remember the good. Regardless of how big or small our victories are, we share them.

My friends, it's time for you to share your Win of the Week.

Like I said before, this was a tough week. I've faced a lot of tragedy and death in my life, but never have I had to wrestle with the death of a child. It has been one of the most emotionally exhausting weeks of my life.

However, I did have a win this week.

Yesterday, I managed to talk to a good friend about what was going on. The conversation was brief, but it was meaningful to me. I needed to let part of my load off onto someone else. Now don't get me wrong - there's still a lot of weight hanging around. But talking to someone about this sort of stuff (for even a few minutes) is a pretty big deal for me. Typically, I'm a clam up and deal with it sort of guy, so this was a step in the right direction for me.

So that, my friends, is my Win of the Week.

So... What about you? What was your Win of the Week?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading

Compassion

One of the lamest ways to begin any speech, sermon, or blog post is with a definition from a dictionary.

Please allow me to be momentarily lame. And thanks for your forgiveness in advance.

There's a word I want to define for you, something that I think is very important to understand. Something that very few of us remember on a consistent basis:

Compassion.

According to my very official source of Dictionary.com, here's the definition of compassion: 

1. a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

What's interesting to me is the way that this definition seems to fall into two pieces. The first piece sounds an awful lot like empathy, but includes the word sympathy, so I suppose it's different. The first piece of compassion includes a feeling.

Personally, I don't place much stock in feelings. Feelings can happen for any number of reasons, including (but not limited to!) a change in weather, hormones, or a bad pasta bowl from Olive Garden. Feelings are just that: something you feel. Nothing more. Not much else to them.

Now, granted, there's probably a little more to them than I am letting on, but I'm biased. But in my heart of hearts, I believe that any feelings not accompanied by action are hogwash. They're nonsense. They mean nothing.

And that's why I like the second part of this definition. True compassion is not only a feeling, but a desire. And while many would classify desires as feelings, I believe there's something more to desire.

Desire is craving. If you desire something, it means you want and sometimes even need something. Your heart and mind are telling you that you are lacking something, even if you really aren't. And more often than not, desire leads to my favorite result: action.

Now I've been skirting over where this emotion of sympathy and this desire are placed, but I think we all know where it lies. It lies within our hearts to help those in need. And I'm not talking about someone who is a middle-class resident of these United States and has a little debt.

No, I'm talking someone who doesn't have food on a regular basis, or lacks what we would consider basic rights: clean water, shoes, or education.

It is disturbing to me how many people are living in extreme, extreme poverty. Not USA poverty, where you can make $18,000/year and be considered in poverty. I'm talking about people who make as little as $1/day and somehow manage to live off of that. 

I hurt for those people. And as a result, I desire to "alleviate the suffering" that they endure, as the dictionary puts it. I have a serious obsession with my compassion for these people. I can't help it.

And so here we are now. At the point where you know. Where you're aware. And hopefully, to a point where the desire has kicked in. Allow me to help you fulfill that desire. There are a number of organizations that assist in impoverished situations, and you're fully capable of Google-ing such entities, but I definitely want to plug a couple here:

Compassion International - Compassion International is a non-profit who assists those who are needy and suffering through the primary avenue of child sponsorship. For much less than a Starbucks a day, you can impact the life of a child and his family.

World Vision - World Vision is another non-profit dedicated to assisting those in need around the world through child sponsorship. However, they are also very active in a number of other ways, which you can see through their website.

Invisible Children - A war has been raging for years and years in Uganda and beyond. The Lord's Resistance Army has been mindlessly killing throughout the country through the use of child soldiers, and Invisible Children is an organization who has been working to take a stand against this injustice in various ways. 

The Adventure Project - The Adventure Project is one of my favorite groups to talk about. They're a non-profit dedicated to changing how we give so that we can eradicate extreme poverty. They've engineered a number of creative projects that have assisted families and communities and are always looking for more people to join and help out.

Remember, a feeling without action is nothing more than some bad heartburn. Turn your compassion into something deeper, something more meaningful, something more real. Do something about it today.


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Questions: What are some of your favorite charitable organizations? What are some actions you can take today to fulfill your desire for compassion?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading! 


This was a repost from September 2011.


image credit: wojtek2000 - sxc.hu

There is No Explanation

Sometimes
                       there are no words.

Sometimes
                       there is no meaning.

Sometimes
                 there is no explanation.

It's in these times that I have no words to speak. Or even to pray.

Only silent thoughts, prayers, and pain.

We have some friends who are facing one of the toughest tragedies possible. Please join us in prayer for them. Help us to share this burden for them. Please pray for healing and peace, and for everyone involved in this to rely on God and his unending love.

Thanks, friends. It's much appreciated.

Living to the Fullest: Can a Nomad Do it?

Note from Adrian: This week's guest post is from another blogging friend called Nowhere Man. Not much is really known about the Nowhere Man. He seems to be on some sort of personal quest.. a never ending search for purpose. With each step a new discovery that brings him a tiny bit closer to unveiling the true meaning of his own existence. Hopefully, someday he will find what he is looking for.

The Nomad keeps a journal of his travels, exploits, and mishaps on his blog, Nomad Way of Life. He can also be found on the Twitter Machine.

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A full life can mean something different from person to person. Whatever those differences may be, the main significance is what matters to you.
It doesn't necessarily have to involve exploring the world through wanderlust like I do.

Or leaping off of a perfectly good bridge with a rubber band tied to your feet, hoping for a thrill or rush that you can't experience on perfectly stable ground.

It could be taking the time to enjoy the simple things in life that we all too often take for granted, like taking a break from those stress-inducing work-related phone calls that seem to suck way too much out of your life.

For a brief period, take a walk through that favorite garden of yours to find that perfect flower. Or even better, enjoy a beautiful sunset as it’s warm glow glistens over the horizon (my personal favorite, I’ll admit).

An experience is much more fulfilling with the cell phone turned OFF, when you don’t have to worry about having 10 seconds to breathe.

Perhaps it’s that child’s smile and the joy you have, knowing that you have brought new life into this world, or the thought of having the opportunity to shape that miniature being into something that will make the world a better place.

Take the time to do whatever it is you truly enjoy, no matter what, void of any excuses (which are easy to conjure up), because the truth will inevitably reveal itself..
The day will come when those little things that held so much joy will be the most important memories of your life.

Enjoy beauty.

Enjoy life.

Most of all, enjoy the time that you get to spend with the people that you care for the most.

It took losing everything that I ever owned or possessed, as well as the one person that I was ever able to truly love in this world, for me to finally wake up and open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds us every day. I can't say that I am glad that it happened, but I will say that it was a hard lesson that I needed to learn. The worst thing that any of us can ever do is to take for granted all of the gifts that this world offers us every day.

Cherish your blessings, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem at the time. We only get one shot at this, so let’s make it count.

I know that I will not live forever. I accept that. The time will eventually arrive when tomorrow doesn’t come. But until that moment arrives, I will do everything that I can to live for today.

Carpe Diem.

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Questions: What do you enjoy doing that makes your life feel fulfilled? What gifts do you sometimes take for granted? How can you "seize the moment" today?

This guest post was part of a guest post series called "Living to the Fullest." Interested in joining in? I'm still looking for submissions! Just write up a post, or even just an idea, and e-mail it my way.

To the Fatherless

Last week, we turned in our *big* senior papers. Having finished mine about two weeks early, it wasn't anything monumental in my mind. However, what I learned from my research was enough to break my heart even further for those who are broken, for those who don't can't speak for themselves.

This is the first thing that comes to my mind when I
think of orphans.

In the Old Testament, there is a litany of passages which talk about three major people-groups which are constantly being oppressed in the Ancient Near East: widows, aliens, and orphans. Today, I want to take a look at orphans.

One of the most surprising things that I learned through my studies was about orphans. In ancient Israel, a child was considered an orphan if he had lost only his father. That's why you see many translations offering the word "orphan" as "fatherless." In fact, I found that it is nearly impossible to pinpoint a context in the Old Testament in which "orphan" refers to someone who has lost both parents.

There are many reasons for this which don't necessarily apply to our modern-day Western culture. The primary reason for this distinction deals with the way in which ancient Israel operated. If a child didn't have a father, or a woman didn't have a husband, they didn't have an identity. They didn't have property. They were among the poorest of the poor, and had no way of helping themselves.

This really seems to put a damper on the saying that "God helps those who help themselves."

Nowadays, if you don't have a father, you still have a social identity, you still have the capability of acquiring wealth and possessions, and, for the most part, you can be economically secure.

One thing that is often overlooked about the fatherless, though, is that beyond their economic security lies a much deeper need, a square hole often filled by a round peg.

The fatherless are still without a father. Biologically speaking, they lack half of their heritage. Half of who they are is a mystery. So, even though they may be secure economically, their deep-seated emotional insecurity remains a void that is rarely filled. And even though they may have an identity socially, they lack part of their identity internally.

Because our culture has so radically shifted from the culture of ancient Israel, I would also go as far to say that the same conditions apply to those who don't have a mother. If you grew up missing a parent, then this  applies to you.

What are the rest of us to do, then? The Bible seems clear on this one: provide for their needs. Those who have should help those who have not. And I know this sounds a lot like socialism, but it isn't. It is love.

Do we really need a step-by-step outline of how to "care" for these people, though? Are we so far out of touch with God's love that we've forgotten what it looks like to truly provide for someone in need?

My first instinct is to propose a list of practical, applicable steps to remedying this situation, but it seems unnecessary. After all, if we, as Christians, are a people who claim to live in love, shouldn't we know how to love one another? Shouldn't we be the best at serving the fatherless or motherless? Shouldn't the love of God (which we claim to be so great and abundant) be overflowing in our lives to the point that loving these people wholeheartedly is our only alternative? 

This love, which we say comes from God, should be evident to those who need it. To those lacking emotional security, we should be a beacon of safety and security. To those who seek their identity, but can never find it because it has gone missing with their mother or father, we should be a ray of hope, illuminating the answer for them: that their identity remains, not in parents (who may leave or pass away), but in God, who never leaves or passes away.

Again, I'm resisting the urge to enumerate the practical steps of such an action, because I know that we've heard it all. We don't need anymore step-by-step guides or self-help manuals to point others to God. We only need to stop asking "How?" or "When?" or "Why?" and simply start doing.

When we stop asking and start doing, then (and only then), will these square holes stop being filled with round pegs. Then, and only then, will those without fathers or mothers find the One who fulfills what they've been seeking all along. And then, and only then, will we become those flesh and blood fathers and mothers to those people.

There are so many broken and so many hurting and devastated because one of the two (or even both) of the people who are always supposed to love them have abandoned them. Will we come to their rescue? Or will we hide behind a facade of ignorance, hoping that if we pretend long enough, the problem will simply disappear?

The need is evident. The command is simple.

Love the orphan.

Care for the fatherless.

Provide for the motherless.

And, above all else, point them toward the One who has been there all along.

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Questions: Do you know anybody who is growing up without a father or mother? What keeps you from caring for them? How do you desire to help them? What would that (practically speaking) look like for you this week?

Did you enjoy this post? If so, I'd appreciate you subscribing to Life Before the Bucket and sharing it with your friends. Thanks a million for reading!