Firefighters battling “unprecedented” fires in California

At this hour, Los Angeles firefighters are battling what Gov. Gavin Newsom calls “unprecedented” fires in the region. The wildfires were sparked by a combination of dry conditions and powerful winds. At least two people were killed; the wildfires have prompted mandatory evacuations of more than eighty thousand people.

More than a thousand structures have been destroyed so far. The Los Angeles fire chief says there are not enough fire personnel across the twenty-nine fire departments in Los Angeles County to address four separate fires of this magnitude.

Some residents have been forced to abandon their cars and escape on foot. People in the region are being advised to pack a “go bag” with essentials like prescriptions, medical supplies, flashlights, and important documents in case they need to flee for their lives.

In other news, officials are still searching for people trapped in the recent earthquake in Tibet. At least 126 are dead, with 188 injured. The quake destroyed more than three thousand homes in Tibet’s Shigatse region.

One other headline caught my eye: “Stop Telling New Orleans To Shut Up And Be Resilient.” The Time article is written by a New Orleans resident who is grateful for his city’s famous resiliency after Katrina and other natural disasters but who sees calls for such a response as intended to encourage tourism and business bottom lines. In his view, “What we need now is the space to heal, the chance to rest, and the dignity of being truly considered.”

How did reading these stories affect you? Did they affect you much at all?

My guess is that you reacted or responded to them to the degree that you are personally engaged with those who are directly affected by them. If you know people in Tibet, the earthquakes become more personal for you. If you live in New Orleans or have loved ones there, the New Year’s tragedy is an existential grief for you. If you live in California or used to live there, the wildfires are deeply painful for you.

Compassion changes the world. The more we care for those who are hurting, the more we are likely to do all we can to help them. The more tragedies occur to “other people,” the less we are engaged in seeking solutions to present and future crises.

This is one reason the Christian faith has been so transformative across its history, a factor we do well to embrace and accelerate in our post-Christian culture.

Why are Christians more charitable than others?

I recently cited journalist John Dickerson’s work highlighting the many ways Christianity has positively impacted our world. I reported that “followers of Jesus created the university and college systems, advanced literacy through public education, founded modern science, began the fight for women’s rights, ended open slavery, drove racial reconciliation, and fought for justice and progress in a multitude of arenas.”

I also noted that, according to the World Economic Forum, religion annually contributes $1.2 trillion dollars of socio-economic value to the US economy. And practicing Christians are demonstrably more charitable than others: 87 percent of church attenders made donations in a recent year to some type of church or charity, compared to only 50 percent of those who do not attend. Another study found that 62 percent of religious households give to charity, compared with 46 percent of households with no religious affiliation.

What explains such generosity?

Jesus said he “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He healed the leprous, raised the dead, fed the poor, and loved the unloved. His entire ministry was centered on serving others.

When his Spirit takes up residence in us as the children of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), he manifests the personality of Jesus in and through us, the first “fruit” of which is “love” (Galatians 5:22). He forms us into the character of Christ (Romans 8:29) so we can continue the ministry of our Lord as his “body” on earth (1 Corinthians 12:27).

As a result, we see Peter and John caring intently for a man crippled from birth (Acts 3:1–10). The first Christians shared their resources “in common” with those in need (Acts 4:32). The apostles were used by God to heal the sick (Acts 5:15–16) and share the gospel with the lost.

Their default passion was to serve as they had been served, to love as they were loved (John 13:34–35). And their movement “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

“Break my heart for what breaks your heart”

Now it’s our turn.

If we feel less compassion for those suffering in California, New Orleans, or Tibet than if we lived in those places, let’s take a moment to ask why. Does our Lord love them any less than he loves us? Are their needs any less urgent than ours? Is his mercy any less necessary for them in their suffering?

Now, let’s ask the Spirit to manifest the fruit of love in our hearts and minds for those in need. Let’s pray for him to give us the compassion of Christ, asking him to “break our heart for what breaks your heart.” Then let’s look for practical ways to respond: first in intercession, then with other steps as we are led.

I am not suggesting that we live with constant “compassion fatigue” as we try to love every hurting person as if they were our personal loved ones. As a wise friend once told me, “Their need does not constitute your call.” But I am suggesting that we regularly ask the Lord to manifest his compassion in and through us and then to lead us to those people and places where we are called to make a personal difference.

When our faith becomes sight, our commitment to Christ becomes far more attractive and relevant to others. Skeptics see the difference Jesus makes in and through our lives. They sense our compassion and are drawn to its Source. And we emulate our suffering Savior whose love for us motivated everything he did and does today.

“All for love’s sake became poor”

The missionary and bishop Frank Houghton prayed:

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenwards by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man.

What will you do “for love’s sake” today?