COMPASSION

“The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

-James 5:11

When C.Leslie Miller was chatting with an elderly surgeon friend, he asked, “Doctor, do you ever worry about the time when your fingers will lose their skills?” The doctor paused and then replied, “No, but I do confess that at times I worry that the day may come when my heart will no longer feel the suffering of my patients.” What he was describing was “Compassion.” Another man put it, “Better that your heart has no words than your words have no heart.” The Greek word for compassion literally means to “Suffer with someone.” It means you feel what they feel – you hurt where they hurt.

Many of our problems could be solved if we learn to hurt where others hurt. Jesus did this. When He was criticized for eating with tax-gatherers and sinners, Jesus replied, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means..” (Matthew 9:12, 13.)

How can your heart feel again? First – ask God to break up the hardness of your heart. We have become desensitized by our video-saturated world. We think of tenderness as weakness rather than strength. We need to learn that it’s okay to cry, feel, and respond to our emotions. Read 2 Timothy 3, and note how Paul’s words are a description of so many today.

Second, take a genuine interest in others. The heart has an amazing capacity to love, provided it is not suffocating with self-love.

Finally – reach out and touch somebody who is hurting. You won’t have to go very far for the world is full of hurting people. When you reach out, you will discover that healing comes for your needs as well.