SIMPLY LOVE | KAIROS GLOBAL | PILOT ISSUE | 2017

Author : Julia Mathew

Intro: Julia Mathew takes us on a journey of compassion & love as she describes her mission experiences in South Asia.

I recently returned from a six week trip

to South Asia. During my time there, the Lord

gave me opportunities to see Him in poverty and

brokenness. My time there colored how I view this

world, and even my life. The Lord broke my heart in

ways I could have never imagined yet brought me

so much joy through the smallest encounters. Morethan all of that though, He pushed me to dream ofwhat this world would look like if all His followers obeyed His greatest commandment, to love one another as He has loved us.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been

asking God to teach me to increase my capacity to

love. During my trip, the Lord allowed my heart to

hurt for what hurts His. This taught me how to love

more intimately, like He loves us. In order for me

to love more intimately, I had to endure a part of

the pain He endures. One of the main ways God did

this for me was through how I saw people. I would

see the Sunday school kids I taught in the local

children playing at the train station. I would see my

little cousin in the young boy working everyday at

the sweet shop making jalebi (an Indian sweet). I

would see my own grandparents in the elderly man

or woman begging for money.

By opening up my eyes and heart to the

brokenness in this place, the Lord entrusted me

with a piece of His heart while taking and shattering

my privileged, comfortable, American-born heart.

The Lord had my heart shattered for the people I

wanted to love, so that compassion would grow in

the brokenness of my heart. The dictionary states

that compassion is “a feeling of deep sympathy and

sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune,

accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the

suffering.” It is this feeling that took root and grew

in my heart throughout my entire journey.

In order to be compassionate, the Lord had to

first give me a vision to do so. He had to help me

see those who were hurting. God began to open

my eyes to see those who were sick and hungry, so

that I could understand their hardships and begin

loving them with empathy. God was able to take

me, an average Indian, American-born young

lady and teach me to see with open eyes

and love with compassion.

One of the sights that broke my heart was seeing grown men

and women ignoring the elderly who were begging. It would not just

be from a distance, but many times they would ignore an appachen or

ammachi(grandpa or grandma) who was tapping on their shoulder, or

standing right in front of them. In South Asia, respect, especially to elders,

is very important, and is a value embedded into the culture. It made my

blood boil that while being in a country where the elderly are traditionally

given so much respect, they could also be continually ignored because of

their lack of wealth and lower social class. Neither one of our lives matter

more than another’s, but in many societies, the wealthy or those making

up a certain ethnic background, can sadly be the most significant, deciding

group.

My trip director challenged my team to really seek out God in these

places, and to ask Him to teach us how to be compassionate. As I would

walk through the train station, I would smile at the kids playing. When I

encountered a man or woman begging, and if I didn’t have anything to

give, I would fold my hands together as a sign of respect to show that I

acknowledged them and valued their life. During each of these different

encounters, the Lord continued to reveal to me how, even when I couldn’t

give or help, the people I encountered mattered. I was given the privilege

to share this message with those I encountered daily, without using any

words for communication. Every day, I was reminded of how even when

the poor or marginalized are invisible to the Lord, they are seen by God. I

knew that I wanted my vision and sight to be aligned with His. I wanted to

see who He sees, touch who He touched, care for whom He cared for, and

love who He loved.

God let me in on an immense secret this summer that changed the way

I see love. During my time here, I realized that the more I sought the Lord,

the more I was able to find Him. I started to play hide and seek with God,

and I was always the one seeking. He would hide, but sometimes He would

jump out of His hiding places, like young children do when you play this

game with them. I saw His joy in the laughs of the children I played with

at the train station. I saw His gentleness in the hands of the elderly man

that would hold onto my hand after I would place a coin in his cup. I saw

His love in the sweet smiles of the women who would help me figure out

which train would take me home. I experienced this summer what Israel is

told in Jeremiah 29:13, “When you search for me, you will find me; if you

seek me with all your heart.” There is no “if’s” or “maybe’s” in this verse,

but a bold statement and promise of God that we will find Him when we

search with all our heart. The greatest lesson the Lord was able to teach

me was when I continued to seek Him, I would find Him, and then the

more I was able to love Him. As I fell more in love with the Lord, He taught

me how to love what He loved.

This summer, God challenged me to love those

He loves…those the world doesn’t even see. In James

1:26-27 we read, “If any think they are religious,

and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their

hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is

pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:

to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and

to keep oneself unstained by the world.” There is a

difference between those who are “religious,” and

what religion in the eyes of the Lord looks like. In

The Message’s reflection of this passage in James

specifically explains how the Gospel is not about

us making a good name for ourselves, but rather

about showing love, especially to the poor and

marginalized. It was only after my experience this

past summer that I understood this part of Scripture

in its entirety.

If we, the body of Christ, could love like how we’re called to, how

different this world would be! So much of the world’s brokenness would

look different. Poverty, terrorism, human trafficking, and starvation

among other things would be eradicated! If we, the Church in America,

love as much as we claim we do, why do we not have compassion towards

those we see holding cardboard signs, asking for money at red lights?

Why do teachers ask their students to turn in their homework, but not

if they ate breakfast first thing in the morning? Many times, we claim to

be Christians who share the love of God, but tend to live more like the

Pharisees because our words don’t match with our works. Yes, our works

do not attain us salvation, but the love that we show through our works

could bring someone else to Jesus. This, through the power of the Holy

Spirit, could lead them to having a relationship with God, and accepting

Him as their Lord, attaining them salvation.

If there is one thing that I could change about how our country is seen

in the world, it is that I wish it was not simply labeled a Christian country.

I wish that we could be a Christ-like nation,

that strives to love like our Lord. I wish that

we did not just say, “one nation under God”

in the pledge, but as a nation we lived out

those words through racial reconciliation

and by minimizing the gap between the

rich and poor. I wish that instead of being

forced to help our brothers and sisters

through food stamps by having to pay

taxes, that we would help and give out of

love and compassion. These are all dreams

that I hold in my heart and pray to see come

true. Even if it does not happen during my

lifetime, I know that on that day when my

Savior returns, there will be no more pain,

hunger, or injustice, just LOVE. Until that

day, I challenge you to love like our God

invites us to.

Having had the privilege to experience Him in a new way this summer, I want

to encourage you to seek the Lord and to seek Him with confidence, knowing

that when you seek Him whole-heartedly, you will find Him! He wants you

to find Him. He might hide Himself at times, but also reveals Himself in

beautiful moments. As you seek and find, you’ll catch yourself falling more

and more in love with Him. And as you fall more in love with Him, you will

begin to love those He loves.

Julia Mathew gave her life to Jesus at the age of 18 when she was convicted by the Lord while at a week long mission trip. She currently attends TWU in hopes of becoming a teacher.

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