Acts of compassion have the potential to heal broken hearts, dispel hatred and restore damaged relationships. No one ever embodied God’s compassion more than Jesus. His heart cried for the sick, the weary and the outcast. He embodied compassionate leadership which changed the world. No wonder crowds of people followed His every footstep. He not only performed miracles to heal and deliver, but He spoke words of mercy never heard before. While many of the Jewish leaders of the day condemned people for not living up to their religious, legalist practices, Jesus forgave them. The New Testament makes several references to the compassion of Jesus. This word compassion as found in the original Greek has a very special meaning. It expresses the deepest emotion of the soul. Compassion is a desire to free others from suffering with more than mere talk. It requires action![pullquote4 align=”right” style=”width:300px;”]If I Had Known
If I had known the troubles you were bearing
The heartaches that were written on your face,
I would have been more kind and caring,
And shared His love and grace.
If I had only known of the sorrows in your heart
The tears that flowed like rain,
I would have been more loving from the start,
And prayed that His grace would ease your pain.[/pullquote4]I was sitting in an airport in London when a man and woman got into an argument. It ended with the man hitting the woman and dragging her out of the airport by her hair. There were a dozen onlookers, but I was the only one who came to her aid. Right now there are millions of people being dragged and attacked by the enemy. That is why we should be ever vigilant, helping those who need love, mercy and compassion and letting them know that Christ cares for them as do we.
If I had known the troubles you were bearing
The heartaches that were written on your face,
I would have been more kind and caring,
And shared His love and grace.
If I had only known of the sorrows in your heart
The tears that flowed like rain,
I would have been more loving from the start,
And prayed that His grace would ease your pain.[/pullquote4]I was sitting in an airport in London when a man and woman got into an argument. It ended with the man hitting the woman and dragging her out of the airport by her hair. There were a dozen onlookers, but I was the only one who came to her aid. Right now there are millions of people being dragged and attacked by the enemy. That is why we should be ever vigilant, helping those who need love, mercy and compassion and letting them know that Christ cares for them as do we.
Everywhere we look people are hurting. To be more Christ-like, we should be merciful, kind and empathetic. We often base our impression of a person on what we see or hear but we cannot see or hear their pain or know what is truly in their heart. May we learn to see them as Jesus did. May His compassion be present in all of us. My prayer, Heavenly Father, is for you to grant each of us the ability to be filled with compassion and happily extend ourselves to all those with a heavy heart.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Eph. 4.22)
Compassion is the power of hope and understanding when used as kindness towards our fellow man.
