Concrete Compassion

Of the six traits of stickiness that we review in this book, concreteness is perhaps the easiest to embrace. It may also be the most effective of the traits.

Kill the Curse of Knowledge. Show me. Don’t tell me. Engage my senses. Let me see and hear and touch and smell.

Compassion International has a simple core mission–releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Child sponsorship is the core of how they do that.

But what does that mean? And how do you penetrate a concrete heart with the pain of poverty?

Maybe you do something unexpected. Gather a small group of bloggers and break their hearts. And in that breaking, they pour out words and haunting images that engulf us in a sea of despair and then show us sun-warmed islands of hope. Their messages stick. We can make a difference–one child at a time.

I could tell you about a minor meltdown this weekend. A door slammed so hard it stuck shut and took at least twenty minutes, four brains, eight hands, one screwdriver, and a couple of feet to release it–with pulling, pushing, pounding, and even kicking.

I could tell you about a child’s brief anger while in time out and the following remorse–just discovered this morning.

Or I could show you.

And I could remind her about a Jesus who breaks a concrete heart and the poverty and hopelessness of living without Him.

And I could show her some photos of children stuck inside poverty’s door, and we could be Jesus by writing a letter today to our Lucy in Kenya.

And we could send some photos and some stickers.

We’re discussing Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath, learning why some ideas survive and others die. Pop over to High Calling Blogs and read the post and discussion led by Laura Boggess as well as find links to related posts.