Yesterday I was asked to speak at a church event on the subject of what breaks my heart. This idea is a project the Ward young adult’s group is just starting at their monthly worship nights. And they wanted to bring me and my heart on.

So, what breaks my heart?

Well, a lot of things.

Cancer. Bullying. Suicide. Abuse. Materialism. Natural Disasters. Human Trafficking. Animal Extinction. Starvation. Death from Preventable Diseases. Orphans. Addiction.

We could all name a multitude of things that we hate to see in the world, things that greatly disturb us.

But right now my heart has a specific pull in it.

I’ve lived in a land much different than my own and exposed myself to a whole new kind of heartbreak. The kind of heartbreak that gets you up off your butt and forces you to DO something.

At this worship night, I spoke about my heart for Uganda. There are so many things about this country that make my heart soar. When I was there I would feel like I was flying, delighted in the ways God chose to use me for increasing His kingdom, but there are things about Uganda that bring me sadness too.

Uganda has a spirit of poverty over it. Anyone that comes from the west won’t be able to leave Kampala without experiencing it. People there live in houses the size of our bedrooms, with dirt, jigger infested floors. Many people can’t afford the cost of transportation to medical clinics; I’ve heard of women WALKING to the hospital while in labor. In Uganda, I’ve had many people in the village tell me money is their biggest concern, and that breaks my heart.

Because of the widespread poverty, education is a challenge. Parents struggle to afford school fees and many children do not attend. These children end up working or roaming around. People know education is the solution to their economic problems, but without hope of it, a vicious cycle of poverty through generations continues, and that breaks my heart.

As a culture based on intellectualism and reason, we have a hard time imagining the existence of actual witchcraft, but in Africa as a whole, witchcraft is very prevalent and very real. People live believing there are curses on them and their families, and there’s nothing they can do about it. It breaks my heart that these people don’t know the authority they have from Christ. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you have the power to heal and cast out demons just like Jesus did. In a place where even pastors haven’t received bible training, someone needs to tell these people about the power they can carry.

What breaks my heart is that people think they need money or school fees or a better job, they think they need the help of a witch doctor, but in reality, what they need is Jesus.

And this isn’t just a problem in Uganda. Worldwide people put their hope and faith into things that will never satisfy or solve their problems. They’re called idols. And they separate us from God.

I love what this young adults group is doing because not only are they recognizing what breaks their heart in the world (and by extension what breaks God’s heart) but they are empowering each other to DO something about it.
God broke my heart for Uganda, and I’m so glad that He did because in that act, He revealed my purpose.

So I ask you, has God broken your heart for a place, a people group, an organization?
What injustices weigh on your soul?

Keep that in mind. Don’t let it turn to anger or discouragement. Turn it into PASSION.

Now, what does God want you to DO about what breaks your heart?

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” -Anne Frank