Christians don’t need to guilt themselves into having an open door policy towards every need under the sun. Yet, at the same time, it is a pretty good thing for (slightly) hardened types like you and I to have our comfy little world shaken up a bit by one of those much nicer people who make us stretch out and love, when we wouldn’t otherwise realise that we should probably be trying to.

That said, there is nothing wrong with being a bit of a Bectrovert. Compassion and sacrifice are not just about denying our selfish agenda – they’re about doing it willingly. That instantly excludes any form of guilting yourself into submission that is driven by comparing the outward expression of your charitable desires, to those of someone who can wear the adjective ‘lovely’ with a slightly better fit. In responding to that, there’s no need to try to stretch too far in one go. You’re far too likely to burn out and lose the motivation to try again.

My suggestion would be to ask yourself how you can stretch little-by-little, instead of how much you should be able to sacrifice because other people seem to be able to. At the very least, the fact that it makes you uncomfortable is an excellent start.

P.S. I heard a rumour that I missed out on seeing Geoff preaching on Sunday somewhere?