Seeing What Shouldn’t Be
NICKI KOZIARZ
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“and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10 (NIV)
I once heard a pastor say, “Look at the world around you and ask, ‘What is something that shouldn’t be this way?’ That’s where your calling begins.”
A woman named Wendy looked around her community in El Salvador, seeing the hundreds of kids who were lacking many basic needs: food, medical care, and education. She also saw weary moms with a lack of hope, and it broke her.
She didn’t have extra time or money. But she did have eyes that couldn’t unsee what shouldn’t be.
Wendy and her husband opened the doors of a Compassion center in the church they pastored, not because they had everything figured out but because it was a lifeline they could offer those silently suffering in darkness.
I think about Wendy on the days when I feel like the world is falling apart, when the ache of my brokenness makes me want to pull the covers over my head and pretend I don’t see anything at all.
Because let’s be honest: Sometimes the bigger the burden feels, the smaller our response becomes.
We don’t have to look far to see darkness. A mom will tuck in her child to sleep tonight wondering how she will keep the lights on tomorrow. Someone cried himself to sleep last night and contemplated taking his life. Teenagers are numbing their pain in silence because no one has said, “You matter.”
And I’m just one person, and so are you, and so is Wendy.
She could have stayed quiet. She could have said it wasn’t her responsibility. She could have said she was already doing her part. Instead, she let her compassion drive her to obey Isaiah 58:10:
“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
This key verse is not just poetic. It’s a promise of holy reversal: When we step into someone’s darkness and shine light, God brings light into our own darkness.
God knows what it feels like for us to live in the dark: the uncertainty after bad news, the ache of unanswered prayers, the exhaustion of seeing brokenness in every corner of the world. Yet Isaiah 58:10 reminds us that when we pour out for others, God pours back into us.
Wendy’s “yes” didn’t just change others’ lives; it changed hers. She discovered that shining God’s light doesn’t require perfection, just presence.
Through Wendy’s partnership with Compassion, she now feeds hundreds of children each week. She trains teachers to disciple the next generation, fills a playroom with laughter, brings hope to women behind bars, and has even welcomed a child from her community into her family.
You don’t have to try to fix everything. Just be courageous enough to light up one corner of the world.
Someone is waiting on the other side of your “yes.” Will you step into their darkness to shine light today?
Lord, thank You for reminding me that even a small “yes” can bring light into someone’s darkness. Give me eyes to see and a heart willing to respond. Help me not to turn away but to step in with compassion and courage. Use me to shine Your light today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we’re honored to partner with Compassion International. Compassion exists to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name — through the generosity of sponsors like you and me.
Members of our team had the opportunity to travel with Compassion to El Salvador this summer and see what God is doing through the local church and sponsors like us. It’s truly amazing.
When you sponsor a child, you ensure access to quality education, medical checkups, healthy food, clean water, and most importantly, the Good News of Jesus — all delivered through a church in their community. Compassion is changing the lives of children. And it changes the lives of sponsors too.
Let’s do this together — the Proverbs 31 Ministries community changing the lives of children. Just click here to sponsor a child. When you become a sponsor, Compassion will send you a copy of our Proverbs: The Beginning of All Wisdom study guide as our thanks to you for investing in the life of a child.
ENGAGE
Nicki’s favorite place to share encouragement is on Instagram — follow her there @NickiKoziarz!
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (NIV).
Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (NIV).
What does it look like for you to “spend yoursel[f] in behalf" of others (Isaiah 58:10) in this season of life? What specific person, place, or cause might God be inviting you to pour into? Share your thoughts in the comments.
© 2025 by Nicki Koziarz. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
