“May God bless you with a restless discomfort
about easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may trust boldly and love fully within your heart.
May God bless you with Holy anger, at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people.
So that you may work tirelessly for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift is tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all the cherish.
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their path into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really can make a difference in this world.
So that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.”
– A Franciscan blessing
I have been in Bangkok for a week now. I have been surrounded by the dark, dirty, desperateness this city has to offer. I have seen prostitution and sex trafficking raging in this city. I have become heart broken as a walk past teen age girls, with braces, selling themselves to 60 year old touris. I see their faces. I hear their stories. I have found a fire and a passion within me to help these people who are trapped in this lifestyle.
I wanted to write this blog to ignite a flame within you. Don’t become an apathetic person to the pain that is ripping through our world. We have become a group of humans who are so wrapped up in our comfortable life that we forget to mourn for those who are hurting. We cover our eyes and ears to the pains of those around us. We think that not knowing is better because we then don’t have to deal with it or be overwhelmed by it.
TO THAT I SAY THIS: It is easier to be heartbroken for a PURPOSE than to live a life without PASSION!
Find a passion. Share your passion. Help some one else. Make a difference. It doesn’t matter how small.
Will it be hard? Yes.
Will it be stretching? Yes.
Will it be time consuming? Yes.
Will it be worth it? Yes!
Lets create a chain reaction and be a people FOR THE PEOPLE.
Apathy finds an excuse,
passion finds a way.
Find an organization or a cause that speaks to you and pour into it.
I love the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Person after person walks by this man that was robbed, beaten, and left to die in ditch. They avoid him and keep walking. Some even go as far as to walk on the opposite side of the road to avoid him. Finally, the Samaritan walks past, STOPS, cleans his wounds, takes him to an inn, pays for him to stay there, and ultimately saves his life. He asks for nothing in return. It says “He found compassion”.
This inspires me to search out people I can find compassion on. Draw near to those hurting. Talk to those you don’t really want to. Honestly, sometimes the most rewarding things come out of those conversations.
Slow down. Take a look around. Become uncomfortable. Find a passion.
Xoxo,
Emily
