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The Compassionate CWG
I guess that there isn’t one of us who hasn’t been touched by the recent events in Haiti. To see the desperate plight of so many people, injured, homeless, helpless and particularly the children who have been traumatised so early on in life. It is thought that nearly 5% of the population have lost their lives; the government has all but collapsed while disease, starvation and anarchy loom.
But it is these situations that compassion can really make its mark.
President Obama in a message to the Haitian people said,
“To the people of Haiti, we say clearly and with conviction, you will not be forsaken. You will not be forgotten. In this, your hour of greatest need, America stands with you. The world stands with you.”
The difference between feeling sorry for someone and having real compassion is action – the things you do in response to such suffering.
Jesus was compassionate. When he saw people who were sick he went and healed them, even if that meant staying up all night. If he saw people hungry, his compassion moved him to provide food, if they were lonely he would invite them to lunch. There was nothing too big or too small that he wouldn’t do because his compassion drove his way of life. It was compassion for us and our sinful situation, that made him die on the cross.
With such an example, we too should have a compassionate nature. But does compassion run in our Christian Workplace Group? There are many reasons why people set up CWG’s – to build friendships, to make a stand for God in their workplace, to influence HR policy. Showing compassion through your CWG can help achieve all of these, and in the sae way that Jesus used when he wanted to reach out to others. Showing compassion gets you noticed and makes even the hardest people acknowledge that there is something worthwhile in what you do.
So does your CWG have a compassionate action plan? Why not get your CWG to work with your company to promote and support the various agencies collecting funds on behalf of Haiti? If your company hasn’t such a program then maybe your CWG could approach HR and do it on their behalf.
Maybe there are other charities you could support either financially or in providing volunteers. As President Obama said, let’s not ‘forsake or forget’ those in need. You would be surprised at the number of people – even non-Christians – who would stand by you and help you out.
Acting in a compassionate way is to show love – and love will get your group noticed. Jesus said “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-25 |
Michael Coveney, 17/01/2010 |
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