As the death toll following Libya's flood reaches over 11,300 a church advocate has been sharing how the Christian community can sustain a compassion for the needs of our communities both locally and internationally.
Officials in Libya say at least 30-thousand people have been displaced in Derna. The city has been the hardest hit by recent flooding that has killed more than 11,300 people. It comes just days after a devastating earthquake struck Morocco's Atlas Mountains. The natural disaster is thought to be the country's most lethal quake in over sixty years and has claimed the lives of over 2,900 people to date.
Jo Trickey, a church advocate at LICC - London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, told Premier it is challenging to maintain compassion for people's situations as crises escalate both at home and abroad.
"There have been quite a lot of challenges, and even locally over the last few months, the concrete crisis and the cost of living. So the idea of caring deeply about anonymous people thousand miles away feels really exhausting."
Trickeyreminds us that God loves and cares for every person and that sometimes we have a limited capacity: "There'll be moments in your life where you've got lots of energy for the global scene, and there'll be moments in your life, you feel totally overwhelmed and can just manage what's in front of you. I would say, don't feel guilty, but just come to God as you are with the reality you're living in today."
She encourages people to stay connected to the needs of others and to continue to pray and find local ways to connect with these crises.
"These things that we see on a global scale might provoke us to live differently on a local scale.
"Where I am, there are lots of asylum seekers. Why not do something that seems manageable on your doorstep? Get to know someone and let God move your heart that way, rather than feeling like it is all a million miles away. There's a whole bunch of people on your doorstep who would appreciate your love and the grace of God today."
