As the Church we are called to care for widows and orphans, and that can be really difficult to do. I think our modern perspective of society has transformed our idea of widows and orphans. As a modern society we have also become complacent with our surroundings and we find too much comfort in them.
It seems this mindset has subconsciously been adopted by many Christians, and it has kept us from truly caring for widows and orphans who are in need and in close proximity.
Visiting the Shinsaengwon orphanage opened my eyes to the oftentimes very bleak world of orphans. I can’t say I was extensively involved in relating to a lot of the children there, but I believe that God was easing me into a new perspective of the world during my time with the kids.
Honestly, I can’t say my heart was in the right place when I went to see the orphans. I had heard about Dongshin’s ministry through the church, but I never really felt compelled to look into it. When I did decided to visit the orphanage my heart wasn’t entirely in it. My overall experience may have been affected by how I was feeling, and my general attitude probably made me feel less connected to the kids there.
God was at work despite how I was feeling, and ultimately, I really did have a good time with everyone at the orphanage. They were very generous and friendly, they served us all kinds of food and we did some swimming—albeit in freezing water. It was quite the experience for someone like me. Someone who has had everything dealt with and handed over by parents or friends.
To see children, who have been sent away from their loved ones, smiling and having fun, convicted me.
God has shown me that my heart needs to be worked on, and that my capacity for compassion needs to be examined before visiting the orphanage again.
Reaching out isn’t always easy, but it can help us see past our own reality and into someone’s dark situation. We can be a light to those people but we first need to learn how to be overcome the superficial comfort of our world.
When we have surrendered to the comfort of our little world we forget how important compassion for others is. We forget that Jesus purposefully stepped out of his comfort zone to feel compassion towards those less fortunate. Also that He never felt compassion out of guilt or duty, but He felt it from the depths of His soul. That’s how we should show compassion to others.