A Heart Issue, Inside and Out.

Does anyone else feel bombarded by all the pink ribbons for Breast Cancer Awareness month? Every store we shop, every product we purchase, every business we engage seems to support this cause. I, for one, am grateful to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for their efforts to raise awareness and support in the fight against breast cancer. It is an issue close to my heart. It sits directly over my heart. And also it rests in my heart.

As a woman with a genetic mutation that puts me at a higher risk for breast cancer, I pray for those working to prevent and eliminate this disease. My children have a 50/50 chance of carrying the same high risk gene mutation. I pray the cures come faster. This is deeply personal for me.

But every October, I am reminded of how easy it is to believe we can significantly impact people’s lives from a distance. We’re lulled into feeling good about helping others simply by purchasing our favorite foods, shopping at our favorite stores, and meeting our own daily needs. I, too, know how easy it is to feel like I am making difference while providing for myself. And, while all the nickels and dimes do add up, I wonder how much more impact we could have if we remember our power ramps up when we engage on a personal level. When we give ourselves, along with our money.

When I look at how churches support National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I don’t find them raising money for the cause with bake sales, auctions, or special offerings. I find churches engaged in cancer support groups, loss of spouse recovery groups, single parent support groups, hospital ministry, hospice care, and other human conditions associated with a person’s fight against breast cancer. And they are doing this every week of every month, not just in October. And I find the impact power goes both ways for people engaged in these ministries. As personal investment is given, personal impact is received. This exchange rests in the heart.

I pray that October is always a time for us to remember and to protect the impact we have on what sits over our hearts, and to make it personal.