And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever
would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Faith.
It’s the most important component to the Christian life. We can’t purchase it
or sell it. Thankfully, we can’t obtain it on our own. It is simply given to us
by God.
Blogger
Shannan Martin traveled with Compassion International to Ecuador to a borrowed
home of a family who belong to the indigenous Quechua people group. Let’s hear
about how her understanding of faith changed:
Thirteen people live under the tin roof, eleven children in
total, three of whom are sponsored by Compassion. Dressed in their everyday
attire of hand-embroidered blouses and long, dark skirts, they took my breath
away. The depth of their material poverty was clear …
"What do you dream for your children?" we asked the
mother.
She sat quietly, her face lined with the pain of lack. "I
wish I could have big dreams for them, but I cannot. I have no hope."…
My trip-leader, Bri turned the question to the girls, "What
do you dream for yourselves?"
They want to be a doctor, a teacher, a fashion designer.
"What gives you that hope?" she asked.
Without a beat, living water spilled from their lips.
"Jesus."
The enemy was in Ecuador today, working hard on my heart…He
would like to convince us some people are beyond hope, and for a couple of
hours today, he met me half-way there. They will never make it out. They live
miles from civilization. They climb mountains for dirty water. They eat nothing
but corn…
When I said these things out loud to Bri, she gasped. "No,
Shannan. No! They are Compassion girls! Maria is already in high school. This
is a big deal!... This is what Compassion does! They've introduced them to
Jesus and He is all the hope they need. They have sponsors pouring into them.
When Compassion says they release children from poverty, they mean it. They
will not give up on them."
Ana, Maria, and Ashley's faith is so much greater than my own.
Jesus, who offers eternity in the span of a seed, grows hope in the smallest
spaces.
Lord, give me the faith to understand that no one is beyond your
reach, that You are the only true hope.
