Spirit-Empowered Compassion
by Nancy Ludwig
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
-King David, Psalm 145:8-9
These verses from the Psalms are clear and inclusive: Our God shows grace, goodness, and compassion to all. Not just to the faithful, the deserving, the innocent, the appealing, those like us, but to “all he has made.” Mentioned twice in these two short verses, compassion is a hallmark of God’s character. And it should be a hallmark of our character too, as believers in Christ, since according to 2 Corinthians 3:18 we are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory. Why, then, do we sometimes shy away from true compassion?
For me, the root of the problem is my instinct for self-protection. In order to be truly compassionate, I must get close enough to a suffering person to understand something about their situation and to share their pain. I can pity from afar, but pity is often no more than a detached, superior, inactive sensation that makes no difference in the life of the sufferer and doesn’t ask anything of me. Pity acknowledges that something bad and perhaps undeserved (by my judgment) is happening to someone else, but it’s not “my problem.” It doesn’t threaten or inconvenience me at all.
I realize that by the world’s standards, my life has been very easy and blessed. Still, I have had times of heartache, insecurity, and disappointment that were painfully real to me, especially early in life. Honestly, I don’t care to revisit those feelings. Over time, I have learned how to keep myself emotionally safe. I do it very well. Long before COVID-induced isolation, I knew how to isolate myself from the messy lives around me.
However, when I accepted Christ as Lord of my life, this kind of safety was not part of the package. Had Jesus chosen to stay safe, we would all be forever lost without hope. Instead, He chose to enter into the world and into our lives, to share our experiences and suffer on our behalf in order to redeem us. If I’m serious about following Him, I need to enter into the lives of my fellow human beings and get close enough to be touched by their grief and suffering. I want my relationships with others to be more than comfortable and self-serving; I want them to be redemptive, pointing others toward Christ. I’m so grateful for God’s compassion toward me, and I want to extend to others the compassion and comfort that I have received. Paul says it well in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
The enemy doesn’t give up easily. If he can discourage me from showing compassion, he wins. Again, speaking from my own experience, here are some half-truths he uses: Don’t get involved; you’ll only say something stupid. You don’t know anything about this kind of problem. You’ll dredge up old wrongs from your past and feel bad all over again. You’ve been praying for ages, but it hasn’t helped. This problem is too big; you can’t make a difference. These arguments are clever because they are totally plausible. True, my words may fail to comfort someone, or may even hurt them unintentionally. Indeed, I don’t have personal experience with many of the hardships faced right now by people I know, such as chemical addictions, debilitating diseases, loss of a child, or a dozen others. True, I don’t want to relive many hurtful things that I’ve finally forgiven myself and others for. Yes, it can be really hard to wait for God’s timing. Absolutely true, I can’t solve anyone’s problems by my own strength.
But here’s what the enemy is hoping we’ll forget: God is greater than any of these limitations. He doesn’t ask us to solve other people’s problems, only to care about them and bring them before Him. While we are to bear one another’s burdens, we never have to do it alone. The Holy Spirit strengthens us, counsels us, and equips us for the good works that He gives us to do. Our compassion is fueled by Christ’s Spirit within us, using us to make a difference in another person’s life. Sometimes we may share wisdom from our own similar experiences; sometimes we will provide material resources or practical help. Sometimes we may just listen as a person pours their heart out, releasing emotional burdens that are too heavy to be borne alone. Sometimes we may sit with them in silence and wait on God so that they don’t have to wait alone. And always, we will be moved to pray for God’s will in the person’s life.
Compassion is part of God’s very nature, and therefore is characteristic of everyone who loves Him. While compassion asks us to risk our comfort, we don’t have to fear it because the Holy Spirit prepares and empowers us. It’s only a burden if we attempt to bear it alone.
Father God, I am forever grateful for your immeasurable compassion for me, and for preparing good works of compassion for me to do in your name. Thank you for redeeming me and bringing beauty from the ashes of my past. Jesus, transform me more and more into your image. Use my life to pour out compassion on the people you place in my path. Holy Spirit, give me discernment in all I say and do for others who are suffering, whether physically or spiritually. Guide my words and deeds into a loving response suited to their needs. May Christ be glorified in all my relationships. Amen.
