I care a lot about the poor, especially those in other, less fortunate countries. It breaks my heart to think about children dying because they don't have enough food or clean water, or of diseases that we have completely eradicated in the Western world.
But I tend to ignore the plight of those who are a little closer to home.
Like the homeless people in the city, begging so they can buy food and shelter.
These people I am less likely to have compassion for. After all, we live in a fortunate country. One where there is plenty of food, usually jobs available, clean water comes from every tap. Medical assistance is available, and often for free. Sure, it may not be easy for them, but still.
Yet they too are made in God’s image. And perhaps it’s harder to love those who are around us (actually, often it is). We don’t have to see (or smell) those cute children from far-off lands on their days where they are decidedly less than cute. But the homeless here... well, they’re right here.
Compassion is needed no less for those here, in spite of the fact that we live in a country that is fortunate. They need our love and the actions that spring from that love just as much as those who are far away from us.
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