Understanding Poverty

This past week, as I prepared my heart to write this blog post, many thoughts swirled around in my head... I thought to myself, "How do I even start to write about understanding poverty when I don't even think that I fully grasp what poverty truly means and stands for in its entirety?"

How do I even begin? What can I say? Where do I start?

As I began to string thoughts into words, I felt a nudge from inside of me saying, "Start with your story!" So, friends... that is where I will begin this blog post... my story!

You see, there was a time when I didn't understand poverty. 

I looked down on the poor. I thought things like, "They must be lazy, that's why they're poor." or "They should look a little harder for a job so they can dig themselves out of this hole." or "If they don't want to help themselves, then they must deserve to live like that." 

In the midst of my hardheartedness, God started to do a beautiful thing in my heart. Through opportunities to pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes each Christmas and through opportunities to make and serve dinner to the homeless community right here in our city, He began to speak to me. 

And, I began to see!

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To continue reading, please click here to hop over to the blog Compassion Family where I am guest blogging today.
{This post is just one part of a whole series of blog posts on the book Hope Lives. During these weeks leading up to Easter, a group of Compassion Advocates is hosting an online community read-through of this book. To read the rest of the blog posts in this series, please click here. And, don't be shy... leave a message for us in the comments section. We'd love to hear your thoughts!}

Unwrapping more of His love in this world.

Act justly.  Love mercy.  Walk humbly with God!