To me "CCC" mean Consciousness, Compassion, and Courageous.
Consciousness
About 25 years ago, a co-worker left a magazine in my inbox. I didn’t notice it immediately, and placed some files on top. A few days later while cleaning out my inbox, I separated the magazine from the other papers. When I took my lunch break, I started reading it, "Heifer International." That one magazine changed my life. I became aware of the world we live in and how millions of others were impoverished. Imagine a cow, horse, mule, or chicken could change someone's life and help lift them out of poverty. I wanted to learn more about this organization and the people who benefited from it.
Compassion
But I didn't really have compassion for these people. The first step to having compassion is to recognize or become aware of an issue. The second step is to feel sympathy. No one can do that for you. When I think of compassion, I think of Mother Theresa. She is the embodiment of the word. I can think of no other person who exemplifies it. After I learned about the desperate needs of the impoverished people around the world, I remembered my childhood. We weren't well off. In fact, my family only had the basic needs. To think there were people in this world who were worse off than we were was an eye opener. That's when I felt compassion and, most importantly, empathy knowing what our family went through. I could relate to them.
Courageous
Once you become conscious of a problem and then feel compassion and/or empathy, the next step is to act. This requires faith and courage. First, faith because you must rely on these words:Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.Proverbs 19:17 - He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Acts 20:35 - I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Second, courage enough to believe in those words and step out on faith and do something about it. Finally, follow through. Without realizing it, you will have uplifted others and given them the courage to tackle whatever situation they are facing.
A month ago, my team leader @mamasez in our Click Track Profit team "We Are Family" invited me to join KIVA. I hadn't heard about this organization. I was previously involved with another micro-finance organization. @mamasez has been a member of Kiva for years and provided me her link. I read about the wonderful things that organization was doing to uplift women around the world by providing loans to them. They have neither the resources nor the access to traditional lending institutions. I joined Kiva immediately. We decided to create a Kiva Lending Team named "Texas Cares" [About Us: Texans caring for the greater good of women everywhere. We loan because Women need a hand up, not a handout].
I now provide loans monthly to women around the world via Kiva. In fact, I just received my 1st monthly repayment installment of $2.67. Wow, it may not seem much to you, but I was overwhelmed! And can you imagine what it meant to this woman who was able to repay her obligation? Now I can combine other resources and make another loan to a deserving women who had enough courage to step out on faith and apply for a loan for her family.
If you're interested in joining our team at Kiva and supporting women around the world, just click this link: Kiva.Org
Images from Pixabay Users:
Beyond Time Lines
John Hain
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