Loving Those Who Are Hard To LoveExemplo

Loving The Poor

Poverty is uncomfortable. Sometimes, it feels easier to look away! It’s easier to pretend we don’t see the lack—lack of hope, lack of worth. Just like Proverbs 28:27 says, we close our eyes to the oppressed.

Jesus looked people in need directly in the eyes. He saw them. He didn’t turn His eyes away from poverty or illness. He stopped and gave people hope. He loved the poor. He wasn’t motivated by what people in need could offer Him. He had a genuine love for them and wanted to help meet their needs—physical, emotional and spiritual. He acted with compassion.

Learn from the life of Jose, who lives in Los Mojaos [translated to “the wet ones”]. This community in the Dominican Republic is surrounded by a glen that regularly overflows when it rains. When this happens, contaminated water floods all the houses.

The neighborhood is also known as one of the most dangerous in San Juan. Few are safe after 6:00 p.m. It was too dangerous for Jose and his siblings to step out of their home; they could easily be raped or robbed. Each night, sounds of locals fighting with machetes and guns echoed to Jose’s family home.

Despite his environment, Jose became a light and a source of hope. Jose was four when he was registered at the Compassion center, which immediately became his happy place. He received medical care, proper nutrition and vocational courses in English and computers he’d otherwise never have access to.

“As a kid, I loved the good friends I met through Compassion. I also loved the meals. Honestly, at first, food was my biggest motivation to attend. At the center, we had access to toys I couldn’t have even dreamed of. It was an amazing place.”

With the support and motivation of his tutor and the other staff at the center, Jose completed the Compassion curriculum and graduated from high school. He decided that his calling was to heal people and eventually worked his way to medical school. Together with his wife, Yaneli, Jose now serves in medical missions, bringing health and the hope of the gospel to impoverished areas of their province. 

“Compassion gave me the best things I've ever had. They gave me love, hope and the opportunity to dream and overcome. After I graduated from the center and high school, a man from the neighborhood told me something I will never forget. He said, ‘You walked in the mud but didn’t get dirty.’ He meant that even though I grew up in a corrupt neighbor, I broke the cycle of poverty. The evil didn’t contaminate my heart.”

His tutor and the Compassion staff showed Jose love that he can now pass on to others.

Through Christ, you have the influence to dig into someone’s messy, muddy life and help them escape the dirt. Where are you using the gifts God gave you to bless these people? Through the Holy Spirit, the Lord equipped you with special gifts that allow you to serve and love His beloved children. Expand your reach and love these ‘messy’ people who God has called you to love.

Prayer:

God, what an example the Compassion staff and Jose are to me. The love they have for the poor is something I want to emulate. May You instill in my heart a love for those less fortunate. Help me not to look past them, but to serve and love them as You have loved me.