Used with Permission:Celia@DustyFeet

Have you experienced compassion in your life? How has it impacted you – changed you? Have you demonstrated compassion? How did that experience affect you – change you? Have you ever really considered the impact of compassion in our world?

God has written the message of His compassion across my heart and laced it through the landscape of my life. He has poured His compassion out on me, and He has allowed me to rally people together to practice it in and through the local church. I have had the privilege of watching Him perform miracles as He reshaped hearts and mobilized people in acts of compassion that dramatically impacted the lives of those sharing it – and the lives of those receiving it.

Here’s something God has taught me about authentic compassion. Maybe this will help you as you warm this world with your own demonstrations of compassion.

Authentic compassion does not make people dependent on systems, organizations, ministries, or governments.

• There is a time and place for emergency assistance and even long-term care (orphans), but authentic compassion never desires to make that assistance a permanent lifestyle.
• Authentic compassion always desires to build people up and make them stronger.
• It sees the potential in every person.
• It seeks the best for that person.
• It seeks to encourage them toward their fullest potential and the fulfillment that comes from living out their God-given purpose on this earth.
• It allows people to realize the deep satisfaction and dignity that come from a day of hard work.
• Authentic compassion is proactive.
• It empowers and makes people stronger.

Dusty Feet is a beautiful organization that is empowering people in an effort to prevent their victimization in the horrors of human trafficking. There are 60,000 street kids in Nairobi alone who are not accounted for. Street children are often murdered for their organs which are then sold on the black market. There are instances of labor trafficking, but sex trafficking is most prevalent.

“The mission of Dusty Feet is to be an advocate for those oppressed by poverty without creating a foundation of dependency. The Dusty Feet Organization is focused on community development and education for people society has dismissed: the street child, commercial sex worker, child soldier, or anyone subjugated by deprivation. Dusty Feet cares for and shows respect for all people regardless of race, religion, culture and socioeconomic status.” “Dusty Feet is an organization bringing change by “Social Entrepreneurship.” Social entrepreneurship can be defined as: using entrepreneurial ideology to help alleviate societal ills. When we examine problems developing nations are facing, most issues can be associated with economic insufficiencies.” (From Dusty Feet website)