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Monday: Compassion Fatigue — 10 Comments

  1. Giving to charity has become big business and all too often such charities are poorly managed and have high overheads. It is not uncommon for less than 50 cents in the dollar to end up in the hands of the cause. It makes you wonder who is being helped the most, the needy or the organisers!

    Carmel and I have made it a rule not to give to any charity that seeks donations over the phone. Many of them are lottery systems and far too many of them are scams. We donate only to causes that we have done our homework on and have checked their bona fides. The state of the charity business highlights the fact that the best gift you can give is your own personal time to people you know.

    “Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.

    The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!””
    ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭3:1-3, 5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

    Peter had the right idea about charity. “Enabling” is more important than donating.

    (40)
    • After seeing the devastation in the Bahamas following hurricane Dorian, I have been thinking about helping. When I retrieved my mail on Friday there was an appeal from ADRA for hurricane Dorian relief efforts including a promise to match funds $2 for $1 given until $100,000 was reached. The organization that is matching funds is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Has anyone else received this mailing?

      (9)
      • Yes, and I responded to it. Such a very sad situation in the Bahamas. I doubt it will come back to full function after this on the islands that were hit the hardest. Praying our church and other relief efforts will stabilized a very chaotic situation and help toward healing.

        (1)
  2. We need compassion because life is hard. We are all susceptible to diseases and injuries.
    Tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us.
    The benefit of being compassionate helps us to be more happy and brings happiness for the people all around us.
    However, if you're not careful, you could end up hurting yourself.
    Caring for a child or adult family member at home may be even more susceptible to compassion fatigue.
    It is not uncommon for those who are constantly concerned with the needs of others to wind up neglecting their own.
    When my father was ill in the last years of his life. We as a family wrapped ourselves around caring for him.
    Six months after his death, my sister had a severe stomach pain and ended up in the hospital and all the tests were negative.
    The conclusion was she was too stressed and she needed rest and care.
    How do you overcome such fatigue?
    Talk to someone who would listen. When you begin to talk, you will realize this feeling is normal.
    Talking about it helps us to unload our burden.
    When my father passed away, we were afraid to talk openly because we felt we could hurt each other which led to internal sickness.

    Many of us feel we cannot say, NO.
    Knowing and understanding our limitation is integral part of staying healthy and being around longer to help others.

    Know when to pull back - retreat, regroup, and re-engage
    If you're getting burned out, it does not matter how passionate a cause it might be, you will not be around.
    Church is one place were people can easily get burned out because we feel it's important for us to serve.
    In my experience I have seen people leave a position they held for years and then slowly slipped away never to be found.

    By reading the postings by Maurice Ashton, I gather that he teaches but when he gets an opportunity, he is out in the open studying the birds.
    His activity totally disengages him from the toils of being in the confinements of the classroom.. Spending time in nature pens our mind to experience God.
    Now, he can engage in the classroom with new fervor and strength. .

    The bible calls us to comfort each other. As Christian His promise propels us forward.

    (28)
  3. There is no need to be out and far of our own way to help others. We always have something we can share. Our best prayer may be sharing!

    (12)
  4. ADRA is a good place to put your money. My husband and I worked for them for a total of 22 and a half years. Their overhead is small and your donation will go a long ways. Yes we need more compassion for others. God expects his children to fulfill the needs of others in our world. If we all did our part we would not have so many people dying of starvation and dirty water. Maranatha is another good place to donate. God bless us all

    (6)
  5. May we consider adding an aspect to “Expectations”? Proverbs suggests that many hands make light work. Is there also room for making sure that we follow the laws of physics pertaining to Rest...physical, mental/psychological and spiritual? Perhaps that will allow us to be “perfectly” compassionate?

    (3)
  6. Compassion fatigue will only be overcome when we are solidly connected to the Vine, Who was all about compassion. Maintaining a healthy connection with Jesus will help alleviate any fatigue we may sustain in our helping of others. I liked the suggestions in this day's lesson. They are important to keep in mind so we don't unnecessarily "burn out."

    Without that connection our compassion fatigue could move to coldness of heart due to iniquity abounding. I pray we all keep looking to Jesus and learn from Him as to how to offer our compassion in the most constructive and helpful ways.

    (4)

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