Have you ever heard about Compassion International? If you have attended many Christian music concerts, there’s a good chance, you have. There’s also a good chance that I’ve talked a little about Compassion to you if I talk to you on a regular basis.

Our family sponsors a child through Compassion. Her name is Daniela, and she lives in Honduras. She is 13, and she and I share the same birthday. That’s actually how I decided which child to pick at that Bebo Norman concert in 2004. Choosing to sponsor a child had been something I had been thinking about doing for a while. In October of 2004, Jason and I went to a Bebo Norman concert as part of my birthday present. During the intermission, I decided to go look at the Compassion table. I told Jason, “How about this? If I see one and one of the kids shares my birthday, that’s how we’ll decide if we sponsor someone or not.” Very nice, huh? So, we walked back to the tables where they display the profiles of the children who need sponsors. I looked down, and what do you think happened? The very first profile I looked at was Daniela’s. She and I share a birthday, too! My decision was pretty easy.

Since then, we’ve been supporting her with a monthly contribution. We also try to send a little something extra for birthdays and Christmas. When I can get my act together, I also send her pictures. She writes to us. She usually sends a picture that she has drawn or colored for the boys (and me, too, I suppose). We share prayer requests, and we get to know each other. It’s easy for me to become complacent about my sponsorship. I just put it on the American Express and let the auto withdrawl take care of itself, right?

That’s sort of how things were going. Then, I started reading, yes, you guessed it 5 Minutes for Mom. One of their editors, Jennifer, is on a Compassion trip right now. She is in the Dominican Republic, and she has been blogging about her experiences along with a few other bloggers. Reading her experiences and the experiences of the other bloggers has reminded me what a responsibility I have. Yes, my $32/month is good. Yes, it does help Daniela in a way that is so vitally important, but I need to do more than that. I need to be regularly praying for her and her family. I also need to be an active participant in our correspondence. I’m pretty sure that God didn’t want me to sponsor Daniela solely for the money. He could have found that money from a few different places if that had been the goal. I’m more than a little sure that there’s something to be learned from this experience both for Daniela and myself.

Having read some of these personal experiences this week has brought back to me the blessings I have been giving, and it has also pointed out to me the responsibility I have chosen to take upon myself. Maybe you are in the same place I was 4 years ago. Have you thought about it but never done it? Lately in the car, I’ve been hearing this commercial on the radio. It says something like, “You saw a homeless family on the street today. You almost stopped to see if they needed some help. You got a letter in the mail today from a local charity. You almost sent them a donation…” There’s more, but I can’t remember it. Then, at the end, it says, “Don’t almost give.” That line always gets me. There are so many times when I almost. I almost call someone when I think they might be down. I almost give the last cash I have when I see someone who might need it. I almost send a card. I almost say something. I almost do it. Don’t stop there. Do it! Make someone else’s life a little better.