Living a Life of Compassion
by Carol Fields
Recently I was at my sister’s house and as we sat around her table, we enjoyed watching the birds coming to her bird feeder, except for one bird which was obviously not well. I felt sorry for that bird and hoped it would fly away, and I said as much to my sister. She replied that a friend of hers would have swooped the bird up and taken it to an animal rescue center. I realized that although I felt concern for the bird, she would have demonstrated compassion by her action. And this insignificant incident caused me to examine my compassion level.
I asked myself, “Am I troubled by the troubles in the world?” In our day of instant access to the news, we are more aware of the world’s problems such as hunger, war, homelessness, sex trafficking, and for us in the church, above all is the concern for the multitudes without the hope found in Jesus. It is easy for me to drive by the homeless person on the street and look the other way or to avoid reading about the war, human trafficking, or unreached people groups. These needs tug at my heart, but the magnitude of the world’s problems is overwhelming. I empathize with the suffering of others, but my resources are limited, and I feel inadequate to help.
What can we do? The first step must be to choose to see the injustice or suffering around us – to open our eyes. It is a choice. Dallas Willard said, “The first major step in becoming one of those who love their neighbors as themselves is to decide to live in compassion.” To have compassion is not only to empathize with someone, but to be motivated to help. We may not solve the larger scope of the problems, but we can each contribute to solutions. The world is full of hurting people who need a loving touch. Jesus has put His people here to let the world know He cares. Andy Stanley said, “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone. Because if we all did for one what we wish we could do for everyone, it might change the world. But certainly, it would change one person’s world. It may even change your world.” And Paul said in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” It is imperative that God’s people, through a deeper compassion, shine the love of Jesus to a lost and hurting world.
As with any discipline, compassion is something that needs to be practiced. We learn about compassion through example and exhortation – and through doing! It does not always come naturally, but compassion needs to be nurtured and practiced if it is to grow stronger. All through the Bible we find examples of God’s compassion. Jesus, our ultimate example, showed compassion to all kinds of people. His example helps us to understand God’s compassion and to be motivated to greater compassion ourselves. I am also inspired and challenged by individuals such as Mother Teresa who have dedicated their lives to relieve the suffering of humanity.
The Scriptures exhort us to make compassion an integral part of our lives. May I rephrase David’s prayer in Psalm 51 – “Create in me a compassionate heart.” When my husband was a young minister fresh out of Bible college, he found it very difficult to make evangelistic calls. He was convinced that to be an effective minister he needed to change his heart, so he prayed for a heart of compassion. The answer to that prayer significantly impacted his ministry.
We need to see Jesus in all of humanity. All people reflect, in some way, the dignity of the Lord, no matter how we have marred His image. Each individual is an expression of God. Mother Teresa said, “Whenever I meet someone in need, it is really Jesus in his most distressing disguise.”
We can have a stronger compassion when we take our eyes off our own empty hands and look to God. We have a power from God that will enable us to do more than we think. God has given us His Holy Spirit so we can become participants in His compassion and reach out to others with God's heart. I remember hearing Stephanie Freed tell the story of Rapha House. When she became aware of the trafficking of children in Cambodia, she told her father that someone needed to do something, and he challenged her to be that someone. And she did! She co-founded Rapha International, beginning with one aftercare program for underage survivors of trafficking in Cambodia. Rapha now serves child survivors in Cambodia, Thailand, Haiti, and the U.S.
The first line of Dallas Willard’s book, Renovation of the Heart, is, “We live from our heart.” Compassion is a fundamental and distinctive characteristic of God’s heart which is infinitely greater than the human heart. Romans 8:29 reminds us that we were predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. I pray that we will, “as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12).
