Friday, August 6, 2010

Why did it take you so long to come?

This week I've had the opportunity to attend The Global Leadership Summit. It's true that you can get something out of every lesson if you choose to listen.

The speaker was Christine Cain - founder of the A21 Campaign. To set the stage, it was past lunch time and I was hungry, I was tired of sitting, and to top it all off, she has a high pitched voice that was NOT helping my building headache. She was the "preachiest" of the speakers up to that point - but I still got something out of it.

She told a story that caught my attention. She was visiting a shelter where she met a girl that had just been rescued from a brothel. She was giving her an eloquent speach about how Jesus loves her and came to save her, etc. The girl interrupted her, yelling out "If what you say is true, why did it take you so long to come?" Christine was speechless. Why did it take her so long?

Why did it take me so long?

For more than a year, I've considered sponsoring a child through Compassion International. I've even gone to their website and looked though all the pictures, but how do you choose. I thought if God really wanted me to do that, I would fall in love with the picture and 2 sentences describing one of the children and that would be my confirmation. But that never happened. So I didn't act. But it didn't go away.
     ...an ad on a web page...
          ...a commercial on the tv or radio...
               ...an overheard conversation at work...
                    ...a conversation with sarah...
                         ...a display at church...
                              ...a sponsor table at the Global Leadership Summit...

I finally did it. I went to Compassion's website and signed up to sponsor a child that's been waiting the longest. It's not my choice, it's God's choice. I should receive my sponsor packet with the information on this child in about 2 weeks. Why did it take me so long to obey?

Are you dragging your feet on something?
Why is it taking you so long?

Thursday, August 5, 2010

What have you intentionally done for someone else this week?

I made time.

I didn't want to. I wanted to be selfish with my time. Hang out with my boyfriend, watch a movie, read the latest Stephani Meyer book (yeah, the one I pre-ordered a couple months ago and still haven't opened). I wanted to use my time to do the things I wanted to do.

But my mom's been asking me for help cutting words out for the crafts she's doing for the fair in a few months. She and one of her friends have been asking to borrow my new Cricut machine - which I don't mind - but they want me to teach them how to use it.

So I chose to make the time to help them. To sacrifice the wants I had for my evening and teach them how to use the machine that would help them continue their projects. Sometimes the small things are the hardest for me to do. :(