dreary-chill-rainy-day-blues
Compassion: n. Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.
Suffering surrounds us everyday. It has to because without suffering we wouldn't know what joy is, and we live in a fallen world. There is pain. There is suffering. Everyone has experienced it in some way, shape, or form. Sometimes we are unaware of it. Sometimes we choose not to see it. Sometimes we see it, but do nothing about it. Sometimes we have compassion.
Matthew 9:36 says, "When He [Jesus] saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."
It takes great strength to look suffering in the eye and have compassion. It requires much of you. It is much easier to ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist. And I confess that is what I do much of the time. Why? Because I don't know what to do to relieve suffering. I don't know how to fix the great problems of the world. I don't know how to heal the hurts that people carry with them.
Jesus, however, had (and still has) compassion on people. Why? Because He is able to look into the suffering in people's lives, see the need, and fix what is wrong. His compassion runs deeper than wanting to help. He is able to heal and restore because He became the solution to the suffering in the world. His compassion for the people lead Him to be a shepherd for the sheep. It lead Him down a path to the cross.
I only pray that I may learn to have this kind of compassion. The kind that is able to look into suffering and point the hurting one to the solution.
A song that fits my rainy-day mood:
Falling Slowly - The Swell Season
Peace out yo!
Suffering surrounds us everyday. It has to because without suffering we wouldn't know what joy is, and we live in a fallen world. There is pain. There is suffering. Everyone has experienced it in some way, shape, or form. Sometimes we are unaware of it. Sometimes we choose not to see it. Sometimes we see it, but do nothing about it. Sometimes we have compassion.
Matthew 9:36 says, "When He [Jesus] saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."
It takes great strength to look suffering in the eye and have compassion. It requires much of you. It is much easier to ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist. And I confess that is what I do much of the time. Why? Because I don't know what to do to relieve suffering. I don't know how to fix the great problems of the world. I don't know how to heal the hurts that people carry with them.
Jesus, however, had (and still has) compassion on people. Why? Because He is able to look into the suffering in people's lives, see the need, and fix what is wrong. His compassion runs deeper than wanting to help. He is able to heal and restore because He became the solution to the suffering in the world. His compassion for the people lead Him to be a shepherd for the sheep. It lead Him down a path to the cross.
I only pray that I may learn to have this kind of compassion. The kind that is able to look into suffering and point the hurting one to the solution.
A song that fits my rainy-day mood:
Falling Slowly - The Swell Season
Peace out yo!
love, Love, LOVE that song!! so good.
ReplyDeletesuffering is an interesting concept. i think you'd like the book "pain: the gift no one wants" by dr. paul brand. such brilliant thoughts!