A Wrecked Life

A Wrecked Life

If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

1 John 3:17

My friend Danielle was living an ordinary life in the US when she and her husband read the book Red Letters: Living a Faith that Bleeds, by Tom Davis. In it, this former CEO of Children’s HopeChest (a nonprofit organization serving underprivileged children worldwide) talks about the role the HIV epidemic has played in the African country of Swaziland and the thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children left to fend for themselves in the wake of its deadly effects.

As parents themselves, Danielle and her husband, Michael, felt immediate concern and compassion for the children of Swaziland, and they resolved to find ways, even small ones, to help. First, they sponsored a young girl through Children’s HopeChest. Next, they became sponsorship coordinators, helping connect other children in need with sponsors. Finally, they spent a week in the girl’s community, living among her friends and neighbors. It was at this point that they were radically changed.

“We were wrecked,” Danielle told me later. “Wrecked for the ordinary. Wrecked for living for ourselves. Wrecked for these little ones who need advocates to stand up and say, ‘Yes! I will pray. I will give. I will go.’”

When Danielle arrived home, she began coming up with more ways their family could help the community in Swaziland flourish: creating and selling T-shirts and bracelets; sharing during speaking and writing opportunities. Whatever she could do to support the children in Swaziland, she began doing. Despite her comfortable life, she was moved to do even more.

Not only does Danielle model a life of generosity, but she invites others to do the same. The passion someone has for giving can inspire others to give more generously as well. Cheerful giving is contagious—how might you spread it today?

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Think of a cause that “wrecks” you. Is it human trafficking, hunger, homelessness, or something else? Once you’ve identified it, take one simple step toward supporting solutions.