No Suffering

Yesterday was a sad and tragic day for our country at the Boston Marathon. My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every injured victim and family member of an injured or lost loved one during this time.

Evil is everywhere, persistent, angry, vengeful, ugly...but I know the victory has been won and I know that good has triumphed over evil. One day there will be no tears, there will be no pain, there will be no suffering, no hunger, no doubt, no anguish. God's loving tears for the death and suffering of His own Son will wash away all our sorrow. We will be free!

Please remember that while the media focuses on the perpetrators of these awful crimes and disasters, we live and work among countless unsung heroes. Let's remember to focus on the bravery, selflessness, and compassion of the angels and heroes that don't get the flashy media attention the villains do, but whose love and mercy scream "Get thee behind me, Satan!"

One story from yesterday's tragedy is that of Carlos Arredondo, a 52-year old immigrant from Costa Rica who has suffered his own fair share of family tragedy when he lost one son to war and another son to suicide, who sprinted to the scene and used his own clothes to help bleeding victims.

Image from New York Times

Two soldiers who ran in their army fatigues finished the race then ran straight into the explosion site to help others to saftey.

New England Patriot Joe Andruzzie carried a woman to safety after the blast.

After running 26 miles yesterday, many of the marathon runners continued to run---straight to the Massachusetts General Hospital where they donated blood to the victims of yesterday's tragedy. In fact, so many people jumped to action to give blood that the Hospital and Red Cross had to stop accepting blood donations!

All over the city, Bostonions proved that they are heroes, as well, by offering showers, clean clothing, meals, rides, phone service, wi-fi access, and housing to stranded marathoners.

It takes nothing but cowardice to cause disaster, but it takes courage to be a hero. Yesterday proved that while we have cowards in our midst, we have far more heroes, far more good people just waiting for a chance to help others.

Please say a prayer for the families of yesterday's victims, and for the heroes that gave so willingly.

Heroes

I don't have too many heroes outside of my family and Jesus. I have never really been "star struck" by anyone, cared much about celebrities or sports personalities, or given a second thought to what the Princess is wearing across the pond.

My mom and dad are my foremost heroes. My dad for his fair and honest treatment of everyone, without regard for their appearance or social status or financial background. When my dad gave you his word, it was as good as gold. My mom is my hero because of her absolute faith in Jesus. I'm constantly amazed at her walk with the Lord and the example she has set for her children.

But aside from my mom, dad, and Jesus (who, of course, is my absolute hero), there is one other person who I regard as a "hero", and that is Mother Teresa.

If anyone can be said to have truly lived the words of Christ, I believe it was her. She was not a beautiful woman, outwardly. But she absolutely shined like a bright morning star with the beauty of Jesus. Her father died when she was only 8 years old, and she left home at age 18, never to see her mother or sister again. She was truly a child of God and no other. She gave over 45 years of her life to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying--working hand in hand with people (in her words) "that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone." Oh that we should ALL live out Christ's commands to such fullness!

I'll interrupt here to mention the task given to Compassion bloggers this month, which is to talk about which Bible verse inspires each of us to serve the children in the Compassion program. An odd segue, I know, but stick with me and I'll get back to the point...

The verse that inspires me to serve these precious children who have no voice in society is Matthew 5:14-16: "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."

Mother Teresa, to me, embodies the meaning of that verse of scripture. She was a light among the darkness, a living legacy of the call of Christ to walk among those in need and lift them up. Despite some criticisms of the ways in which she worked, I can imagine that when Mother Teresa entered heaven she was greeted by a Jesus who knew her well, having been served by her in countless soup kitchen lines, slums, streets, and orphanages. If anyone has stored up riches in heaven, I believe it is her.

Astonishingly enough, Mother Teresa was not without fault or doubt, which makes her even more amazing. She has been criticised with regards to the operation of some of her hospitals and charities (but then, it's easy to criticize someone doing the hard work when you aren't in the thick of things, isn't it?), and she expressed many moments of darkness where she felt alienated from Christ. In my mind, those heart-wrenching confessions of spiritual doubt lend an air of authenticity to her faith, and render her willingness to continue her work for Christ even more awe-inspiring.

In her Nobel Prize speech, Mother Teresa said with regards to poverty, "When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger. But a person that is shut out, that feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person that has been thrown out from society—that poverty is so hurtable [sic] and so much, and I find that very difficult."

Unwanted. Unloved. Is that the feeling the children of Compassion have before they are comforted by the distant arms of a sponsor? Before their parents enroll them in a Compassion center where they learn the love of a God who created them? That is the true poverty in our world. Christians are to be a light among the darkness. Are we too concerned about petty things happening in our own lives, on TV, in the news, on Facebook to be the light Jesus called us to be?

I fail, daily, to be the woman Jesus calls me to be. My soul cries for me to toss aside conventional society and serve compassionately and passionately for Him. Fear, temptation, pride tie me to my comfortable life, storing aside all my "riches" here on earth. Thank God for the love of Christ despite my failures, and for the honesty, faith, and sacrifices of my heroes to help light my own path through the darkness. My prayer is that others will see my meager light, will pick it up, and will light the path of these precious children as they seek the face of Christ through the dark night of poverty. Please consider sponsoring a child today.