Mercy

A couple of weeks ago, my pastor told me, "I think you may have the gift of mercy."

And I nearly laughed in his face! Which is kind of an ironic reaction, I guess. But I managed to restrain myself.

In all seriousness, though, I honestly don't think that what my pastor said to me that night was true. Yes, God has been revealing to me just how important mercy ministry is to Him (it's so abundantly clear throughout the Bible!). But my response has nothing to do with "spiritual giftedness" -- and everything to do with wanting to be obedient, and wanting to have God's heart. I'm no Mother Theresa, I'm not a super Christian. I'm just an ordinary person who can no longer argue with the Truth.

Last night I had the opportunity to watch "58", a documentary about the Church ending extreme poverty. Did you know that if American Christians - at least, those who attend church every Sunday and claim that their faith is "very important" to them - were to give just one percent of their wealth, there would be enough money to end extreme poverty throughout the world within one generation? Now, don't get me wrong -- the problem of poverty is certainly complex and requires more than simply throwing money in its direction; it requires time, and compassion, and lots of guts and heart. But still, don't the numbers bewilder you? Frustrate you? Don't they give you hope? God gave us everything we need to end suffering and oppression! This is not a cliché. This is very, very real. This is truth.

What are we going to do about it?