Isaiah 61

hey guys! i had a very deep and meaningful Faith and Life (R.e) class today, and my teacher read us this verse which really opened up something inside my heart.
hope it will give you guys some encouragement too! oh and it reminds me of how important missionary really is.

Isaiah 61
¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
² He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
³ To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

this passage talks about hope for the oppressed (in other words, those affected with poverty or injustice or other hardships of life.) in which we as christians are able to apply these few verses into our life into serving God and spreading God's word to others.

my teacher also mentioned something which really struck a cord.
as a few of you know, during the past few R.E classes my class has been talking about human trafficking and today it was about prostitution. she told me an inspirational story about how a women tried to help these women by baking cupcakes, and giving one to them every week, she was christian. but instead of forcing God's word upon them and acting as if she were condemning them, (which christians do seem to do sometimes :S ) she provided them with comfort, and a sign of understanding. Eventually, the girls and the lady developed a great connection, in which she just said she offered them help if they needed it.

some things to think about:
a) is there anyone who might be needing your support right now? start small, and just show that person you're here for them
b) be aware of all the hardships out there of other people, in less fortunate countries which are so much worse off worrying about their lives, than our next sac on our calendar.
c) people like cupcakes! :D

hope this post somewhat inspired you as much as it inspired me!
lots of love, you guys! and hope you have a great week.
see you soon!