Compassion; Is it in you?

     I think it is interesting to see the last two virtues I have waited until last to share. After some self evaluating, I am wondering if I put them last because they are the hardest for me to achieve. When I was young, I wanted to save the world. I wanted to be a social worker and help people with destroyed lives get better. All they needed was some love and direction from me! lol I majored in Family Service in college and ended up taking the first job I could get when I graduated which was managing a preschool. I was able to stay home when Bryce was born and didn't go back to work until we went to seminary. At that time I became a manager of a temporary service. I was excited to have a position where I could help people find work with the possibility of it working into a full time position. Soon, that excitement turned to frustration when people lied to me day after day. I started out in this position having compassion towards people needing help but after a year in this position, I became hard and mistrusting. I realized I had become a person I didn’t want to be and I sought the Lord to help me find a balance between overly trusting and having a hardened heart. After entering the ministry with Dwayne, I have continued this roller coaster. At times I am very compassionate and giving and at other times I am far from it! So many times I have been fooled by people telling me they want to improve their life. I invest myself and my time to help them, only to find out they didn’t really want to change. Often, I would end up being the only one fighting for their goals, or fighting harder than they did. To top it off, in the end, I lose their relationship because they pull away from me because my presence reminded them of their failure to change. It can really hurt! It is these times that squeeze out my compassion and charity..

     I have pondered this week when I feel compassion and when I don’t. When others are innocent victims, I feel compassion. When they are striving to change their situation, I feel compassion. When others are seeking, I feel compassion. I do not feel compassion when they will not work at changing their circumstance, when they stir the pot until it explodes in their face, when they keep going back to their pit, or when they refuse to listen to anybody. Often words such as, “they got what they deserved”, “I knew it was going to happen", “I tried to tell them”, are words that show we have lost our compassion.
     I have pondered this week when I feel compassion and when I don’t. When others are innocent victims, I feel compassion. When they are striving to change their situation, I feel compassion. When others are seeking, I feel compassion. I do not feel compassion when they will not work at changing their circumstance, when they stir the pot until it explodes in their face, when they keep going back to their pit, or when they refuse to listen to anybody. Often words such as, “they got what they deserved”, “I knew it was going to happen, “I tried to tell them”, are words that show we have lost our compassion.
     I have pondered this week when I feel compassion and when I don’t. When others are innocent victims, I feel compassion. When they are striving to change their situation, I feel compassion. When others are seeking, I feel compassion. I do not feel compassion when they will not work at changing their circumstance, when they stir the pot until it explodes in their face, when they keep going back to their pit, or when they refuse to listen to anybody. Often words such as, “they got what they deserved”, “I knew it was going to happen, “I tried to tell them”, are words that show we have lost our compassion.
     Compassion means to have empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others). It is considered a part of love and is expressed in the ‘Golden Rule’: Do to others what you would have them do to you, (meaning to suffer together). When that compassion moves into benevolent giving, it becomes charity.
     I would love to pat myself on the back and say that many times I have compassion, empathy and sympathy for people and I try to love others. However, it is the times I don’t that keep me from gloating. I am either really good or I really stink. It comes down to who is ruling in the situation: Jesus or me! I need to surrender in every situation and let the Lord’s compassion flow through me. I have a saying that hangs in my house.  It states that people need love when they deserve it least. I think we could substitute compassion and say that people need compassion when they deserve it least. After all, how many times do I deserve it?  Read what Scripture says when the people came to Jesus one day. I'm sure there were some with bad motivations, some who could have helped them self.

As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Matthew 14:13-14