Compassion

Compassion is defined as "sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others". God shows us compassion through His grace.  He is slow to anger.  He loves us and patiently waits for those who are resistant or rebellious in loving Him.  He is faithful.  His compassion is infinite and eternal.  

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

God's greatest act of compassion for us was in Him giving His only Son to die on the cross for our sins. He loved us so much that He was willing to give up Jesus for us, in order that we might be able to live with Him for all eternity.  And because of that great act of compassion, we are shown His love in a way that we can't totally comprehend, but because of that great act, we can learn to show compassion to others.

 When we think of compassion, many of us think of the story of the Good Samaritan of Luke 10:25-37.  The beaten man was left on the side of the road.  Two men walked by, seeing him lying there, but didn't do anything about it.  But the Good Samaritan - someone who in all likelihood would have passed him by because of their different backgrounds/nationalities - took pity on him.  But his pity for him wasn't just an, 'I feel sorry for him and I hope he gets some help.'  His pity made him DO SOMETHING.

Compassion begins with the eyes.  A person sees someone who needs something.  But the true compassion part is fulfilled ONLY when the seeing with the eyes results in doing something.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17

Using our time, talents, and abilities by giving of ourselves, is showing true compassion.  It does begin with our eyes, but will only "end" when we use the rest of our bodies.  We must give of ourselves wholly and completely to truly show compassion to others.  Our self-centered ways must be denied.  We must see the needs of others before our own.  

How can you show compassion today?  When you see someone in need, will you just take pity on them or will you do something about it?  Do you see needs of others, yet fail to do anything past "seeing"?  

Compassion

Recently I've been talking with my children about the word compassion.  They have even been given a "home" work assignment, writing a paper about compassion. The oldest boy has finished his paper, and does now seem to have some grasp on what the word means, but not to the extent I would like for him to have.  He'll have to do some more research, some more Bible reading.

I found this quote online, defining the word compassion:

Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.

This quote and definition seem perfect for describing what compassion truly means.  I recently came up with my own quote for compassion. It's in the photo at the top of this post.  Compassion is caring, but caring to the extent that you want to do something about it.

My son used a very good illustration in his paper by using the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 (click link to read passage).  In this story, a man was walking along the road and was attacked. The attackers beat him until he was half dead, leaving him on the side of the road.  A priest came by, saw the man, and stayed on the other side of the road.  A Levite came by, saw the man, and also passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled down the road and saw the man, took pity on him. He had compassion. He stopped his traveling to care for the hurt man. He took him to an inn, stayed with him for a night to care for him, then left money to help the man continue to get help and care.

Too many of us are like the other two travelers in the story.  We're too busy to get involved and care about the needs and hurts of others.  We're too selfish with our time, our talents, our money to take care of and share with others.  We're so caught up in our own lives and circumstances to have the compassion for others that Jesus wants us to have.  Many times that compassion can be shown in our own homes....with our own family members.  Compassion is caring.  Compassion is love.

How can you show compassion to someone this week?  What selfish desire can you give up so that you can care for the needs and hurts of others?  How can you show that you care?  How can you show the love of Jesus?

"You Don't Know About Me, Daddy!"

Our third child, Jacob, was three years old. We had parked to go in to a football game and were all getting unloaded when Jacob said, "Daddy, I need my jacket!" Because all of our children take after their dad as far as body temperature goes, they are extremely hot natured. But also, since it wasn't very cold outside, my husband Joe said "Jacob, you don't need your jacket." Jacob, without hesitation, replied, "You don't know about me, Daddy!"

Hmmm! Joe and I just looked at each other and really didn't know what to say. I turned away because I started laughing and didn't want Jacob to see me. Joe got Jacob his jacket and I could tell that he was having a hard time not laughing about the reply, too! On the way in to the football game, we quietly agreed that Jacob was right! Joe didn't know about him with that particular situation/need of the jacket.


How many times do you and I do this very same thing to others? We feel a certain way about something and we expect everyone else to feel or react in the same way we do. But, like Jacob pointed out, we don't always know how another person feels or what their needs may be. We don't always know about them.

When a friend or a loved one is experiencing pain, troubles, or trials, we should be there for them. Everyone handles things differently, and though we may not fully understand what they are going through, we can be there for them. And, of course, we can and should pray for them.

1 Peter 3:8 says, "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous."

Other verses to think about:

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Romans 12:10

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

Sometimes the honesty of children can teach us an important lesson! Thank you, Jacob, for teaching us to be more compassionate towards others.