Our Faith provides us with Hope that compels us to share God’s Love in compassionate actions for one another. They receive that Love which produces in them Hope and that leads to their growth in Faith, and the cycle goes on. It could just become the tsunami of compassion that changes our world!
Let’s take a closer look at what that means for Faith Community Care. Most Christians know the command to love their neighbour. They are motivated by their Christian faith to put that faith into demonstrable action using their gifts, or professional knowledge, and learnt skills to obey God’s call to love their neighbour. We can only do it when we recognise we are dependent on God’s love to fill our lives so we can pour that love into another person’s life like a stream of life-giving water. A Christian is a conduit of God’s love. Anyone can do a kind ‘thing’ for another human being, but it is how that ‘thing’ is done that makes all the difference. It should make the person receiving care feel respected, dignified, cared for, and loved. We are putting our faith into action and expressing God’s love in the way we work with people (not just on people) and that way of serving ignites hope in the recipients of our care. Hope is the catalyst for growth of faith, and the ability to become well again. The person starts to see a future, they see a way forward, and they get a clearer vision of what can happen. God’s word tells us ‘Where there is no vision the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18). In churches we are blessed with the opportunity to reflect and express Jesus’ love everyday through our caring activities.
I recently listened to a pastor speak about the importance of sharing God’s word as a demonstration of God’s love. This ‘word à deed’ approach was challenging to me and I reflected on the message wondering why I was more comfortable with a ‘deed à word’ approach to demonstrating God’s love. I feel the latter approach is natural for me and experienced by the person as authentic. It probably comes from my vocation as a nurse, a very deed-centred profession. I am better at demonstrating God’s love by my actions which I expect will inspire hope in the person who receives my care. This in turn strengthens their faith in a loving and trustworthy God. I recognise this is a ‘Love àHope à Faith’ approach, rather than a ‘Faith à Hope à Love’ approach. The latter approach shares faith with a person and that kindles hope, which strengthens the person’s faith so they grow to love Jesus more.
I think we can use either approach as our starting point, but I find a ‘Love à Hope à Faith’ approach is a better fit for my faith community care ministry. In this approach the tap root from which the person thrives is God’s love. Love is the grounding foundation from which all of our actions are drawn. God is love and expressing loving words and actions to a person enlivens their heart. Our spiritual ‘heart’ is the part of our being that enables us to choose God’s way, or our own way. Experiencing love ignites within the person a sense of hope that strengthens when it is anchored in the firm foundation of a loving God. It is God who enables us to keep compassionately caring for, and ‘loving’ on a person until their hope is restored. I have seen time and again when hope is rekindled, a person’s confidence returns, their expectation of good things in life comes back, and they can begin to see a future again. This in turn reignites a flagging faith in the LORD.
It is as if experiencing love tills the soil of the person’s heart and awakens the seeds of hope that God has placed inside each person’s spirit. Hope springs into life, but in order for hope to grow stronger it must be anchored and nourished in God’s love. Hope gives birth to faith and as it is nourished by love, an eagerness to know God more often follows.
Let me tell you about Rebecca as her story clearly explain the ‘Love à Hope à Faith’ approach. Rebecca came into my work life as a person living with major mental health disorders. She was isolated, experiencing suicidal thoughts, disconnected from her family and dishevelled in her appearance. Over many months of visiting her, walking, talking, coffees, chats, she began to feel sufficiently loved and worthwhile to feel able to connect with other people. Rebecca began to attend some social activities run by a church in her area. The people from that church demonstrated an authentic desire to include her, they accepted and loved her. Rebecca began to take more care about how she looked. She began to share more vulnerably with me and with others in the church. I received fewer anxious phone calls from her. Rebecca’s speech started to change as well. She spoke about future dreams and aspirations! She got some help working toward some of these dreams by other people in her church. People in her church encouraged her and with that encouragement she grew stronger and more hopeful. She asked people questions about their faith. She was very interested in how they sustained their feelings of happiness and hopefulness, because this had been a constant struggle for her. Discussions about God grew over the next few months and faith was birthed in Rebecca. A few months later she was baptised and happily announced to me, “I’m a new creation”! This is the power of the ‘Love à Hope à Faith’ approach in action
When we express God’s love in our actions, people experience God and come to know him, because ‘GOD IS LOVE’. Hope comes to life! As people continue to be nurtured and encounter God’s love in an ongoing way, their hope flourishes and their faith grows.
God’s growth cycle to promote his compassion care in the world
If people do not have ongoing encounters with God’s love, hope fades, faith fizzles and may even end. When this occurs, the despair and apathy that lead to illness and unbelief follow. Therefore, staying anchored in God’s love and God’s word, experiencing his love through the actions of fellow Christians, allowing yourself to rest in God’s love so he can fill you with love, will enable your faith community care ministry to thrive
Anne van Loon RN PhD
May 2024
“Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.”[Psalm 33:2 NLT]
Reflection and Action
The principle of love guides everything we do in Faith Community Care
1. How does this discussion sit with your world view on compassionate care?
2. Where would you prefer to start on the cycle as your first point to grow compassionate care?
3. Do a word search on Hope in scripture and see how important it is as the catalyst for, and outcome of, love and faith.
4. We live in a world where people are searching for hope and love, yet they are not look at faith communities for the answer. What reasons might there be for this situation. How can we start to redeem this situation with and for Jesus
5. Rather than becoming disillusioned, let’s all take 1 or 2 action steps in our own lives that will demonstrate compassionate care
- Faith in action
- Hope in motion
- Love in expression
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