We all have certain messages that stick with us.
Maybe there’s something your mom or dad told you that you’ve never forgotten. Maybe there’s a quote from a movie that has always inspired you or lyrics from a song that have made you think differently about life.
Personally, the words I’ve never been able to get out of my head are these: As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Those words from the Bible (Proverbs 23:7) teach us that our actions come from what’s in our hearts. And the best way I’ve found to know my heart is to know what breaks it.
And while there are so many issues that break our hearts — human trafficking, sexual abuse, social injustice or anything in between — I bet there are certain issues that tug on your heart a little differently. I believe there’s a purpose behind that. God wants to use your passion for good.
For my wife, Kaeleigh, and me, it’s taken years to realize which causes we care about the most. In 2022, we made a key step of discovery when we traveled to Tanzania with Compassion International, a global organization that supports children living in poverty.
As we sat in churches in rural areas, we were shocked as moms would walk up to us and (almost literally) drop their babies in our laps, desperate for us to hold them. While many of these moms simply needed a break, for others, the issue was deeper.
Through translators, some of these moms implored us — complete strangers — to take their babies back to the United States. They were willing to never see their children again if they could be assured that their little ones would receive the quality of care that can be hard to come by in their country, but perhaps more available in the U.S. Heartbreaking moments like that offer a glimpse of how many parents in poverty feel truly out of options when it comes to caring for their babies.
Infant health problems and other issues that would be easily treatable in a well-resourced hospital can become life-threatening or fatal for those in poverty. In fact, almost all maternal and neonatal deaths (95% and 90%, respectively) occur in low and lower middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization.
Thankfully, mothers of children registered with Compassion get the help they need at their local child development centers. But what haunted me coming home from Tanzania was thinking of all the pregnant moms outside of Compassion’s care, who need support and may never get it.
And then — just weeks after arriving home from Tanzania — my wife and I learned we were pregnant with a daughter of our own. While I’m grateful that Kaeleigh went on to have a relatively smooth pregnancy, the reality of what we saw in Tanzania came to mind again during her delivery. My wife and daughter went through complications in the birthing process that could have ended tragically for one or both of them, if not for the care they received from some of the nation’s best doctors at our local hospital.
Sadly, interventions like the ones my wife and daughter received are a pipe dream for many around the world. When I look into my daughter’s eyes, it’s unimaginable to think of her future being shortened by something preventable. Yet for millions, this is exactly what happens.
Our experiences in Tanzania and in bringing our child into the world inspired us to launch the Punts for Purpose campaign in 2023. Through this campaign, we donated $1,000 to Compassion for every punt I was able to land inside the 20-yard line. The funds went toward Compassion’s The Fight for First campaign, which has nearly reached its goal of funding 500 child survival centers serving 25,000 babies and their mothers in urgent need.
It didn’t take long for other punters — like Tress Way, my friend and an 11-year veteran in the league — to join in. In fact, Tress’ support helped create a groundswell that led to nearly half the league’s punters participating in Week 14 of last season.
And the support is working. For a key group of infants Compassion serves in Ethiopia, mortality rates are dropping from 31 out of 1,000 to almost zero. And in parts of Togo where only 48% of babies were receiving crucial immunizations before, it’s now 98%.
Stats like that put into perspective what happens to me each Sunday on a football field. Yes, there are incredible feelings that come with being a pro athlete — playing alongside all-time greats, winning games in the final seconds or even winning the league’s biggest trophies. I work hard every day for these “mountaintop” moments, but I can tell you from experience that even the best feelings fade.
What will never fade is the eternal impact of serving the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40), the little ones around the world who hold the dignity of being made in God’s image. God promises us that when we care for the less fortunate, we are serving him directly.
Think of an infant in Colombia who would have suffered the permanent effects of malnourishment — until you stepped in. Think of a baby girl, just minutes old, who receives intensive care in the Philippines because you were willing to act. Or the pregnant moms I met in Tanzania, who can sleep at night because they feel cared for instead of alone.
This isn’t an issue that we can kick down the road. If we help these moms and babies now, we won’t have to wonder how many babies we could have saved or how many moms could have made it out of their pregnancies — if we had just stepped forward.
I hope you’ll consider where God might be moving in your heart. I believe our hearts, and what breaks them, are what God cares about most. What breaks yours?
Bradley Pinion is a professional football punter and currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons. In 2023, Bradley launched Punts for Purpose, an ongoing initiative that supports Compassion International to fight the devastating impacts of poverty in the lives of babies and their mothers. Bradley and his wife, Kaeleigh, have one daughter together. Learn more about the campaign here.
