When Jesus Leads

As promised, I am sharing some of the love and joy that I am seeing displayed around me this week – things that normally I either didn’t take as much notice of as I should, or things that have not really been as much a part of my world as they are now.

I guess it won’t do any harm to share where I work now that it’s official – I am back “home” at Compassion International, a Christian, Jesus-Centered, Church-Based and Child-Focused international ministry where it’s really true – JESUS is what it’s all about.

I worked there from 1991-2000 and then had to leave to stay home with my three children for a while. After that, I needed to work, but as much as I wanted to return to my Compassion family, my husband and I felt the need for me to hold a night job. That lasted 10 years.

Get this: Compassion moved buildings after I left in 2000 – right NEXT to the building I was working the night job at for 10 years.

In one sense, I thought that was kind of torture, ya know? In fact, quite honestly, when I would drive into work at night, I wouldn’t glance over at the Compassion building because I knew that I couldn’t go back just yet and didn’t want my little heart to start to hope for something that was not realistic for me and my family. When I would LEAVE my night job to go home, I then was able to look over at Compassion and think of them and pray for them. Odd, no?

I had so many deep friendships there – after a few years I stopped staying in consistent touch with those friends of mine – although they are the kind of friends that even with that loss of contact, once you are together again, it’s still there – that bond.

But when the Lord started nudging me to move out of the job I had been in, guess what happened? I started not having any problem whatsoever looking over at  that Compassion building. And then……I started to pray about them more and more and more. And I started to think “I think I want to go back to Compassion now.” It took a while for things to come to fruition, but they eventually did – after some other changes and some uncertainty, and a willingness to surrender in faith and realize Compassion may not be where He will have me end up. As soon as I embraced that fully – (that maybe He wanted me to leave my job, but go somewhere ELSE other than Compassion) He opened the door. God is so GREAT.

Anyway, more will be coming about my return “home” to Compassion, but today I wanted to point out some of the small acts of love and joy I saw displayed while at work.

A story was told about a sponsored child who received an extra “gift” from their sponsor and used it to purchase things for the rest of her family – necessities, and the only “luxury” was material for she and her mother to make matching dresses.

Our esteemed President of the ministry, dear and wonderful man that he is – I got to watch a video of him speaking not too long ago kind of reviewing the past few decades at Compassion and looking to the future – just hearing his voice and seeing his face – I can see that he is the same wonderful and God-fearing leader he always has been. He lets Jesus lead.

Friends I am making in my department and training class are blowing me away with the love and joy they show and the ways they do so. For example, after meeting one man that is in our department, the two of us who are new hires to the minstry received a specific and personal email from him later that day – he told us a story of how his mother came in for a tour of the ministry and to have lunch with him, and how it touched her heart to see the love in the place. These are the things that most people don’t take the time to share or relay – especially to someone they just met.

Another young man invited us to go eat lunch with him and a group of others from the department, while still others took us to lunch in the cafeteria during our orientation.

Best of all – in the foyer the first or second day we were in orientation – there was a group that was touring the building and learning about the ministry and children were amongst the folks in this group. They were playing on the life-sized Jesus statue in the foyer and admiring Him, climbing into His lap, and having a great time. They were at home, they had no fear, and everyone that was around embraced this fully.

Children are really and truly welcome at Compassion…that’s what they are about. But it doesn’t stop there. The way this ministry leads, both internally (in regard to it’s employees and partners) and externally (relating to their sponsors, donors, children sponsored, project partners, partner countries, and general public) is, and has always been marked by Jesus being the true leader.

How can you not see love and joy in that?

If we remember to let Jesus lead, that love of His…that joy that only He can provide…it will flow abundantly.

Thank you Jesus for never changing in an ever-changing world. Thank you for growing this wonderful ministry yet guiding the leaders and members of the ministry to keep you where you belong….

Right in the Center of it all.

Love never fails. – 1 Corinthians 13:8

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! Psalms 47:1

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