A few weeks ago in a leadership class at church, we read a little about the parable of The Good Samaritan. I don't know why, but it became much more applicable and real to me that night. I realized compassion is meaningless if it's not holding hands with actions.
My thoughts went to the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. Kyle (I feel like reading someone's book makes us friends, so we're on a first name basis here. That didn't fly to well in high school research papers. Don't call Charles Dickens "Charlie.") talks about a time he was watching TV late at night. An infomercial of starving, diseased children in Africa came on. He was captivated for half an hour by the tragedy of it all. Even getting watery eyes. Then, when the commercial ended he sat back, feeling like a good-hearted person because he had compassion and pity for those children. But, que "Aha!" moment, he realized that he had done nothing to help them.
This is so much the story of so-called compassion today. We see the broken lives, we see the hurting people, we see their messes and stay on the other side of the street like the priest in the story of the good Samaritan. Why?
That's not the bible's story of compassion…
God. God of everything and everyone, the creator, looked at our hopeless and desperate situation. He saw the struggle and pride and hurt and hypocrisy. And almighty God had compassion on us.
But where would we be if it ended there? If he had fuzzy, pitiful feelings and thought "Oh, poor depraved people," and then went on with being awesome and praised by the angels. He had every right to. But God defined compassion by sending his son. Then his son displayed compassion not with a pat on the back and a "I'll be praying for you." No! He stooped into the dust with the harlot. He was loving and merciful towards the tax collectors. He healed the sick. His compassion on everyone--whether they loved him back or not--produced healing, power, grace, and ultimately salvation for anyone who will accept it, carry their cross, and follow him.
God's compassion doesn't look like a mildly concerned bystander. It's the image of a sincere, loving, hands-on helper. A dedicated advocate. He saw my sin, heartache, pride, and shame. He longed to alleviate the struggle, and so he did.
If the compassion God had on us resulted in the brutal beating and death of the only innocent man to ever live, what makes us think it's okay for ours to result in half-hearted sentiments and (at least in my case) sometimes empty "I'll be praying for you"'s?
Compassion is not meant to be the goal. It's not then ending point. As God's example before us shows, it's a launching pad. Compassion is meant to be a catalyst towards becoming the hands and feet of God. There should be a tangible outcome. We are supposed to be stirred to action. He was. He sent us Jesus. If we see a person in need, struggling, needing encouragement, or just in a tough situation and have the means to help them out in any way at all but choose not to, we're missing the point of what compassion really is. When we feel compassion towards others, I truly believe God shows us a glimpse of his very heart.
My prayer today is that God would help me turn my compassion into works. That he would help me be his hands and feet, interceding in prayer for others and helping in any way I can. Help me to love others as myself.
Keep an eye out for someone in need today!
-Hannah
My thoughts went to the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. Kyle (I feel like reading someone's book makes us friends, so we're on a first name basis here. That didn't fly to well in high school research papers. Don't call Charles Dickens "Charlie.") talks about a time he was watching TV late at night. An infomercial of starving, diseased children in Africa came on. He was captivated for half an hour by the tragedy of it all. Even getting watery eyes. Then, when the commercial ended he sat back, feeling like a good-hearted person because he had compassion and pity for those children. But, que "Aha!" moment, he realized that he had done nothing to help them.
This is so much the story of so-called compassion today. We see the broken lives, we see the hurting people, we see their messes and stay on the other side of the street like the priest in the story of the good Samaritan. Why?
That's not the bible's story of compassion…
God. God of everything and everyone, the creator, looked at our hopeless and desperate situation. He saw the struggle and pride and hurt and hypocrisy. And almighty God had compassion on us.
But where would we be if it ended there? If he had fuzzy, pitiful feelings and thought "Oh, poor depraved people," and then went on with being awesome and praised by the angels. He had every right to. But God defined compassion by sending his son. Then his son displayed compassion not with a pat on the back and a "I'll be praying for you." No! He stooped into the dust with the harlot. He was loving and merciful towards the tax collectors. He healed the sick. His compassion on everyone--whether they loved him back or not--produced healing, power, grace, and ultimately salvation for anyone who will accept it, carry their cross, and follow him.
God's compassion doesn't look like a mildly concerned bystander. It's the image of a sincere, loving, hands-on helper. A dedicated advocate. He saw my sin, heartache, pride, and shame. He longed to alleviate the struggle, and so he did.
If the compassion God had on us resulted in the brutal beating and death of the only innocent man to ever live, what makes us think it's okay for ours to result in half-hearted sentiments and (at least in my case) sometimes empty "I'll be praying for you"'s?
Compassion is not meant to be the goal. It's not then ending point. As God's example before us shows, it's a launching pad. Compassion is meant to be a catalyst towards becoming the hands and feet of God. There should be a tangible outcome. We are supposed to be stirred to action. He was. He sent us Jesus. If we see a person in need, struggling, needing encouragement, or just in a tough situation and have the means to help them out in any way at all but choose not to, we're missing the point of what compassion really is. When we feel compassion towards others, I truly believe God shows us a glimpse of his very heart.
My prayer today is that God would help me turn my compassion into works. That he would help me be his hands and feet, interceding in prayer for others and helping in any way I can. Help me to love others as myself.
Keep an eye out for someone in need today!
-Hannah
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love the world in talk but in deed and truth. -1 John 3:16-18