My dear sister,
I am a little nervous to be writing to you, dear one, about compassion, for I feel it is something that I know very little about, or at least I haven’t taken the time to practice it as often as I should. I have realized that I spend so much time thinking about myself that I leave very little time for thinking about others, much less reaching out to them in their time of need. So to change that, this Labor Day weekend as I was thinking about what I was going to write to you, I asked the Lord to teach me compassion. For whom better to learn from than the One who has shown us the greatest compassion imaginable?
I first decided to consult a dictionary on the matter. Webster’s Dictionary defines compassion as “a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity.” An accurate definition but I found the definition provided by Dictionary.com of much more use. It defines compassion as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” I think we are all familiar with compassion in the sense that we often experience it involuntarily that is without thinking about it. We feel it when we learn that a friend has lost a parent or a child, or when a friend suffers from an accident that leaves them blind or paralyzes them. But how often do we, dear one, purposely practice compassion? Just as our dear sister, Colleen, mentioned, in the Bible compassion is often coupled with an action. Jesus felt compassion for a blind man and he healed him. So we see repeatedly throughout Scripture that this abstract emotion is, more often than not, followed by a concrete action.
Earlier I mentioned that I asked the Lord to teach me compassion. Well, as always, He was faithful. Just yesterday He began teaching me. In this first lesson, He provided an opportunity for me to express compassion to a friend going through a difficult time. As she expressed to me her deepest fears, my heart was filled with sympathy and sorrow for her situation. I wanted to help her through this difficult time as much as I was able. I rejoiced in the opportunity to remind her of Christ’s love for her and to preach the gospel to her, and tell her that God will never forsake her, even if everyone in this world does. I was able to proclaim to her that Christ is able to fill even the deepest longings of our souls and that He will bring us through even the most bitter of sorrows with the most glorious triumph. As her situation persists, I am able to serve as an encouragement to her and this not only lifts her up but also gives me fulfillment as I carry out a God-given role of friendship and sisterhood.
If you, dear sister, feel you need to grow in compassion, as I do, ask the Lord to teach you. He is more than willing to do so and unlike our earthly mentors, He is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
In the love of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Kayla