Living in a fallen world creates many needs in this world. Natural disasters, poverty, disease, and lack of resources have caused much dispair in our lives. We are faced with relationship problems at work or in our homes. Just watch the news and you will see the daily crises in our communities and around the globe.
There are so many needs all around us, and God desires to use His people to make a difference in the lives around us. How we respond to the needs around us will determine whether or not God will use to be history makers in the world.
Noticing the need
The first step is simply seeing the need. Many of us do not do a good job of actually being aware of many needs around us every day. We may even become immune to needs that we see regularly. It is imperative that we see those things that come across our radar screens daily and not ignore the reality we see.
The second step is to feel the need. Some people will notice a need but will not become emotionally connected to it. If we want to be in a position to make a difference, we must open our hearts to the need we see. The word compassion means "to suffer together." We must feel the needs of others in order for compassion to arise within us. The word compassion means "to suffer together." Without this attention to others, we will never be moved to take action, and we will only develop compassion for needs that we allow to become "heartfelt" needs.
The next step is to connect with or bond to the need. So often, when we feel the pain of others, it makes us want to run. It is hard to "suffer together" with someone else. We must be willing to stay connected to the need we feel to the point that it becomes a constant in our lives. We don't "move on" to the next thing, but the need becomes like a burden we carry.
Finally, we begin to believe that God can use us to help meet that need. We may not know exactly how yet, but we understand that God uses His people to be history makers in the lives of others. We begin to believe that God has burdened us with this particular need for a reason and that He will use us to make a difference, even changing the course of history in some small way, in someone's life and circumstance. A need becomes a vision and a mission as we pray for God's direction and how He may use us to be history makers.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.