Words of Wisdoms for the Weekend ~ Encouragement, Compassion and Hope ~ We Can "Do Something" this Mother's Day

"And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 

therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest." 

{Matthew 9:35-38} 

He saw the crowds and had compassion on them . . . because they were helpless. 

Mothers, women who mother, women who bear the bruises for the ones they bore or long to love, we have an incredible opportunity to reach out with gentle hands in compassion.

A compassion that makes us feel the pain of the distressed and do something about it.

We really don't need special recognition for the long days, sleepless nights and endless lists . . .  We really do need to especially continue to labour with long-suffering, selfless, and enduring love.

It's this self-sacrificing, giving, hope-filled love that will

clothe us with strength and dignity,

fill our days with joy and

our hearts with contentment and

cause us to laugh at the days to come.

This Mother's Day, 

what if we lowered our expectations for what we think we deserve

and delighted to serve the least of these?

"This is what it looks like, I thought. In so many places, we sit in church and talk about compassion, unimaginable love, revival. And then an hour later, we are still sitting there talking about it. But revival is happening. Now. Compassion is working: unimaginable, selfless love is real. It is right here. My five-year-old knows how to be Jesus' hand to others. I can stand and watch the children I have loved and cared for turn around and compassionately love and care for others." ~Katie Davis Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption

I am looking forward to co-leading one of these groups this session beginning on May 26th (registration begins May 19th). If you are in need of encouragement, there is a welcome group for you.  Are You Looking For Encouragement? "(in)courage has benches for you to sit on with a cup of coffee and meet women who are much like you. Friends who understand the heaviness in your heart as well and who also laugh at the things you find funny. These benches are called (in)courage community groups." "The groups are lead by women who have a heart for serving. These women are not trained professionals; they are like you and me. They are women who live their everyday life with joys and broken hearts, who find their strength in the Lord and joy in walking beside other women."

Everything We Think We Know About Marriage and Divorce is Wrong by Shaunti Feldhahn "Another myth that is begging to be debunked is the notion that “Barna found that the rate of divorce is the same in the church.” Actually the Barna Group found no such thing and George Barna himself told me he would love to correct this misunderstanding. Because he wasn’t studying people 'in the church.'" "Those of us who work with marriages may secretly wonder whether there is reason for our ministry, if the news about the divorce rate is better than we think. And the answer is a resounding yes. Because I have seen in the research what every marriage counselor knows intimately: divorce isn’t the greatest threat to marriage. Discouragement is. "What marriages need today is hope. And of all people, we in the Body of Christ should be the most ready to offer hope – not just for our spiritual life but for our marriages. And now, we can."

Half the Sky: When You’re Ready to ACT to Bring All Girls Back: The Esther Initiative And what if pastors and husbands and fathers and brothers gathered around women gathering with women and said yes, yes to His truth and His value and His worth of women — because unless a man looks to Jesus, a man doesn’t know how to treat a woman. When the prevailing thinking is boys will be boys — girls will be treated like garbage. Girls will be mistreated and dismissed and misunderstood and misplaced — and no one will do anything about it. And that is never the heart of God. Unless a man looks to Jesus, a man doesn’t know how to treat a woman. How would it change the world if men and women around the world knew that God chose to make His entry point into the world through the holy space of a woman, to enfold Himself inside of a woman, to drink of a woman, be held and nourished and cared for by a woman — that’s the jolting truth of how God loves His daughters with His honour. In honour of all the mothers this weekend, in honor of all the stolen girls in Nigeria, the slave girls of Haiti, the brothel girls of India, the trafficked girls in our own countries, in honour of your daughters and your sisters and your mothers and your Jesus who calls all the daughters His — will you stand with as part of the Esther Generation who is making the Esther Initiative happen? Every $5 matters & makes a difference and God will MULTIPLY our little loaves and fishes.

{Email subscribers can listen to "Do Something" by Matthew West by clicking here } I woke up this morning Saw a world full of trouble now Thought, how’d we ever get so far down How’s it ever gonna turn around So I turned my eyes to Heaven I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?” Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of People living in poverty Children sold into slavery The thought disgusted me So, I shook my fist at Heaven Said, “God, why don’t You do something?” He said, “I did, I created you”

{Words for Wisdom for the Weekend: These are words that I have been challenged or encouraged by that I have read throughout my week that I kept pondering; words that I couldn't get off my mind and heart throughout my week. 

For other Words of Wisdom for the Weekend posts see here.}