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Rushing out of my local grocery store parking lot, I check my watch. I'm running late; I have 5 minutes to drive a distance that requires 15. While calculating whether I can make it through a yellow light, I spot a thin, weathered man standing on the median. Without enough time to accelerate past or enough space to switch lanes, I reluctantly pull up beside him.

Before I even read his cardboard sign, my pulse quickens with trepidation. Should I look at him? Should I roll down the window? Should I offer him food? No matter what response I choose, I'm uncomfortable with the whole situation. Yet I'm beginning to suspect my discomfort may be a sort of holy invitation.

Like many middle-class, suburban women, I'm often insulated from a world in need. When famine strikes in Africa, my supermarket's shelves remain stocked. When chaos erupts in the Middle East, my neighborhood stays secure. When floodwaters rise in New Orleans, my home keeps dry. Without concerted effort, the closest I may ever get to a needy person is the unsettling intrusion of the man on the median.

Still, I hunger to share Christ's care with those he loves. Jesus challenged his disciples, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36). Because Jesus responded to his Father's voice, God more than likely directed Jesus' gaze toward individuals in need of his merciful touch. We imitate Jesus when we, too, notice the needs around us, respond with compassionate action, and foster a genuine connection. Here's how to do these things in your neighborhood.

Pay Attention

A large crowd was gathered in front of the local Catholic Social Services office when my children and I drove by on the way to school one morning. I explained to my kids people were lined up to get help paying their rent. A little five-year-old voice piped up from the backseat, "Can we pray for dem?" My son's heart, sensitive to the Spirit's nudge, responded to others' needs.

"Most people dismiss these promptings as foolish," explains Bruce Main, author of Holy Hunches: Responding to the Promptings of God. Main calls these inner cues "holy impulses" or "divine hunches." Main explains, "What actually moves people into acts of service, acts of justice, acts of compassion, is this intuitive sense" that prompts five-year-old lips to pray for the poor while hurrying off to school. Main underscores, "It is not enough to have our hearts fill with compassion or empathy for others. We really need to convert these feelings into an appropriate response." Our faithful response springs from noticing what moves God's heart.

Scripture boldly articulates God's concern for the weak and his passion for justice. We see these twin concerns embodied in the One who announced his ministry with words of justice: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19).

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The Lord has really laid our local Food Bank on my heart. I did not get the support I was hoping for through my church for a food drive. My daughter and I are very involved with sports at her high school. I went to the Athlectic Director and ask if I could do a food drive with the sports teams. He was thrilled with the idea. During football season we had a Football Fans 4 the Food Bank drive and during wrestling we had a Pound 4 Pound food drive. All together we raised over $500 in donations and collected over 3500lbs of food!!! I used the players from each team to help collect donations. The kids really enjoyed interacting with the public, and the folks from our town really loved seeing the kids working for the community. Moms, if you are looking for a community project use you local high school. It is a great way for the kids to give back to the community and you have a wonderful oppurnity to teach these kids a useful lesson in compassion.

I was a little put off in the beginning of the article. To drive around and pray for people doesn't necessarily help. I'm not mininmizing the power of prayer, but I have become convinced that if we pray for the needs of those around us, we should at the same time offer ourselves to God to use to meet those needs. The second group of "Ideas.." was better though still focused on yourself. Eating rice and beans does not help the person with no food. The third set of "Ideas..." was much better. Again, you must be available to God to be hands-on help to those in need. Respond to those promptings of the Holy Spirit, like the child in the backseat who wanted to pay the rent. Go out in faith and help pay some rent. You will find sometime that the people you helped were not deserving after all, or abused you kindness, but that is between them and God. He only asks to be compassionate and resond to His nudges.

Or if you really want to add spice to your life, go on a mission trip or become full-time missionaries. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. In places like China, all you have to do is mention that you're a Christian and people start asking you questions. There are a lot of normal people in America that can hold down the 9-5 jobs. I say be abnormal. :>)

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