As I sit here in my cubical complaining to myself that it is so cold and why can’t “they” get the temperature right in the building, I am reminded of our dedicated staff throughout the world.
Having lived in a developing country, I know all too well that electricity is a luxury, water is not to be taken for granted, and comfort is not even a part of the language. I recall the 85-year-old woman in Mexico who slept five days outside on the ground so I would have a bed. This was her gift to God, and the joy it brought her seared my heart.
In this moment, I am humbled and ashamed of my petty complaints.
I am in awe of the staff in Haiti with their resilience in the midst of hardship and tragedy — how they serve God and all of us in the Global Ministry Center without thought of reward.
I am encouraged by the report of a Leadership Development Program student who was appointed to parliament in Uganda. She grew up with Compassion and now is a voice for her country.
I am brought to tears as I read reports of how God has sustained our children and the countless miracles that take place daily. I praise God that my sponsored child has accepted the Lord and prays for me daily and, because of Compassion and the Lord, is blossoming into a beautiful young woman full of promise.
Each day we have the choice to choose life or death. To choose to be thankful in all things or to grumble and complain. To worship God by serving each other with joy or to expect others to serve us. To be like Jesus or to be consumed with self.
May we be like Jesus, who did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. — Philippians 1:3–6
Prayer: Father, grant us Your heart for mankind. May we serve with gladness, knowing that You will complete the work You have begun in us. May we regard each other as more important than ourselves and become more like Jesus every day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kathie Rossback is a finance contract manager at the Global Minstry Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.