One Smile. One Meal. One Welcome.

The Answer to Compassion Fatigue

You and I are not going to solve the global displacement crisis. We aren’t going to bring peace to Sudan or Ukraine or Palestine. We cannot singlehandedly feed the world’s hungry or restore education to young women in Afghanistan. We cannot cure government corruption or stop the conscription of children into military service.

It is tempting, in fact, to believe that you and I are powerless in the face of the world’s great tragedies.

And, so, we turn away, we escape, we retreat into screens and entertainment and vacations. We ignore the suffering taking place around us because we believe we are powerless to change it.

But powerlessness is a lie.

You and I have power.

We have the power to act, the power to pray, the power to vote, the power to speak truth, the power to think beyond ourselves.

It is one of the great mysteries of the universe that God gives power to individual humans. He speaks to us. He calls us. He invites us into his work. And he multiplies our offerings, whatever their size.

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:4-5)

The Power to Welcome

“I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)

This past year, 700 individuals who had fled violence and persecution in their home countries, came to Spokane seeking a fresh start in a safe place. 700 people landed at Spokane International Airport, often late at night, weary from their travels. Many of them were greeted by handmade signs with big bubble letters that said “Welcome to America!” “We’re glad you’re here!” A crowd of well-wishers, complete strangers, adults and children, waved and smiled and shook their hands. Those well-wishers could have been at home in bed, watching late-night TV, but they chose instead to claim the power to welcome.

Volunteers shopped for groceries for their new neighbors. They bought ingredients with which they were unfamiliar, new herbs, new seasonings. Volunteers drove their new neighbors to doctor appointments. They sat and practiced English conversation. They explained “junk mail” and how to write a check, how to budget, how to ride the bus. They went along to school appointments and escorted new friends to new places. Sometimes they struggled to communicate, and eventually, they laughed.

Perhaps those actions don’t seem like they are solving the world’s problems, but aren’t they? They are certainly making a difference to the 700 people who came to Spokane out of the chaos and confusion from which they fled.

The Power of a Meal

Hospitality literally means to welcome the stranger.

Hospitality isn’t about well-decorated homes and matching dishes. It isn’t even about perfectly grilled meat or premium coffee. It’s not about reciprocating invites or proving our host/ess skills. Hospitality is about opening our lives and our homes to someone in need of a sense of welcome and belonging.

Author and theologian John Piper wrote a powerful sermon in which he explained that NOT practicing hospitality is the most natural thing in the world.

“There is a psychological force of gravity that constantly pulls our thoughts and affections and physical actions inward toward the center of our own selves and our homes. Therefore, the most natural thing in the world is to neglect hospitality. It is the path of least resistance. All we have to do is yield to the natural gravity of our self-centered life, and the result will be a life so full of self that there is no room for hospitality. We will forget about it. And we will neglect it. So the Bible bluntly says, ‘Stop that!’… Stop neglecting hospitality. Practice hospitality.”

Jesus compares God’s kingdom to a banquet, a glorious feast, and he commands those who would follow him to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind… Do not invite your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.” (Luke 14)

Some of Jesus’ most intimate times with his disciples happen at the table. During a meal or a shared cup of tea, we tend to put aside our to-do lists and focus on the people around us. We listen. We make our guest the priority. Around the table, people feel seen and heard.

There is power in hospitality.

The Power of Prayer

“Pray without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:16)

The God of the universe listens to his children. When you watch the news or scan social media, use the headlines and the emotions they evoke as an invitation to pray.

Pray for peace. Pray for truth to win the day. Pray for comfort to be tangibly manifest in centers of suffering. Watch for the helpers and pray for them. Pray for the children. Pray for the mothers. Pray protection over those acting as messengers of Jesus and his mercy.

Pray for God’s Spirit to lead you in how to make a difference.

Pray for those who are fleeing. Pray for their safety. Pray for their warm welcome and new beginning in a safe place.

Then pray about how you can be part of that warm welcome and new beginning.

“Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It’s the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. ”

Frederick Buechner

About the Author

Barbara Comito is the Development Director at World Relief Spokane. In addition to leading a team of creative professionals, she is married to a chef, has four children and three grandchildren, loves to garden, write and read/watch British mysteries.