So...what is a Matthew to do?

I'm in Ottawa at the moment and off to Toronto later this morning. I'm off adventuring within the inner and outer city areas of some huge and impressive urban environments. Why? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out.

On a basic level the purpose is to gain some more education in a practical manner, both in working with different 'hands-on' organizations but also (and in my opinion more significant at this point) engaging in dialog with various individuals in these organizations, and within our own group, in order to gain a greater perspective on the very complicated and interwoven issues of poverty and homelessness.

So then the question raised is, "What is a Matthew to do?" I don't think the responses from us as individuals should be carbon copies of one another, but I do think we are all called to respond in some way, as human beings and not just as Christians.

Christianity and the message of Christ gives me some very clear and tangible motivations for wanting to respond, even if I seldom respond in the best way. And when it fundamentally comes down to it I live a comfortable life that I can attempt to continue living comfortably in regardless of God's broken heart for the marginalized and disenfranchised.

I feel like my heart is as cold as stone at times, unwilling to push me to act, frozen in place. That's when I realize that it is not me alone that feels compassion and a desire to do justice. It comes from my Creator, whose image I was created in.

As hard as it is to believe at times, I find my truest heart when I engage in having it broken by the suffering of the world around me. That's not to say I should sit around and mope all the time. Certainly there are things worth rejoicing over and yet it is easy to let those things overpower our focus and to ignore the pain.

The problem with all of this is that it's hard, it requires something of me.

That's the catch for me at the moment.