Rekindling Our Hearts For The Poor

Source : REKINDLING OUR HEARTS FOR THE POOR - Jackie Pullinger Conference

Session 1: 56k or 384k
Session 2: 56k or 384k
Session 3: 56k or 384k

Those who knows me long, might know I don't particularly endear myself with Christians. In my younger days, I want to have nothing to do with Christianity. Not that my 2 years bible study cause such reaction. Just that I never really had good experience since young, with Christians. So why did I listen to her talk?

Actually over the years, I managed to tolerate Christians. My close friends were afterall Christians too. All it boils down is respect, respect for what I believe in, respect for what they believe in. And truthfully speaking, I like this speaker. Because I sense her sincerity and her respect and her honesty.

So after removing all the talk on Jesus, all the talk on Christianity, these are some points that she reminded me.

1. Help your neighbour
Before you start thinking of going overseas and help others, look around to the people close to you. Are you rendering help to these people who needs your help too? And I don't feel it should be neighbour alone, how about your family. Your immediate family. I really don't want to go overseas to help people, only to neglect the people I care at home. There is an element of paradox in it.

2. No right to make other people do what we do not do ourselves.
If you have the money to publicise, to print coloured flyers, to have a beautiful church, do you not spend it on the needy, the poor. If you are not putting the money in the right cause, what right do you have to ask others to donate?

3. People usually withdraw after they got hurt. However when look after the sick, you don't stop when you can't cure the first one. You continue. When you truly help others, you may get burnt. You may get dejected. She said that after using up all your own heart, you will get His heart, which is bigger. I don't believe I get another heart but that is my own thinking. What I believe is somehow maybe one's heart expanded, was given more storage. To be used for more extensive causes.

4. To close your eyes when you see those images, when you see those documentary about hungry children. To see and not do anything, you will turn cold. She doesn't want us to turn unfeeling everytime we see such images because it has serious repercussions. But if you are really unable to help be it financially or physically, what can one do? She suggested praying. Weird, it is a habit I had since young.

5. God fills up as you goes along. Go to the poor even if you do not have any resources. God will equipped you along the way. Something like 船到桥头自然直.

6. Giving is as much for our sake as for them. We don't give because people is going to change. True!

7. You can have nothing and not be poor. You can be a rich millionaire and is so poor inside. Yeah couldn't agree more on it.

8. Where you came from, where you are now, and where you are going. The focus is on directions. Something that a speaker on Managing Transitions from Family Matters had mentioned too. He had mentioned first The End where we must learn to let go. Then the Neutral zone which is like in between trapezes and we may have that lost feeling. And then The Beginning where we start making plans and clarify our mission.

At the end she touch a bit on filial piety and being freed. Something about it that I am still trying to figure out. Something that still puzzles me....