Compassion
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin compassion-, compassio, from compati to sympathize, from Latin com- + pati to bear, suffer ---more at patient
Date: 14th century
:sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it
Do you see the word patient used in the etymology? If you know me well, you probably know that I don't have a lot of patience and probably not a lot of compassion either. I always score very low on the spiritual gift tests/surveys in the area of mercy. It's not my gift, but that doesn't excuse me from the responsibility. We are called to have mercy and to show compassion.
It doesn't always come easy for me. Just ask my kids. When one of them says, "That's not fair.", I usually tell them, "You're right. It's not fair. But life isn't fair. You might as well learn that early." I also tell them, "Life is hard, but God is good." Honesty, that's my policy. Life really is hard, but even in the midst of hardship and/or heartache, God is still good. He doesn't change.
Since we've had children, you'll be happy to know that my mercy meter has increased some. I do score somewhat better in the area of mercy than I did pre-children. However, I'm not ranking high in the mercy area. That is why it is all the more shocking to me that my heart breaks for the orphans of the world. The lack of the basic necessities of life just rips at my heart. No shoes, no food, no clean water, no mom and dad to kiss them good night. Just thinking about it now puts a pit in my stomach. I'll be honest though, I struggle with what to do with all of this. Derek reminds me that even if we sold everything and gave it all away, it wouldn't even put a dent in things. "The poor will always be with you". There's the logical side speaking.
However we can't just walk away and do nothing either. We might not make a dent in poverty, but how we could change a child's life and a family's life and even the course of a generation if we decided to get radical and start saying no to things that we want and yes to helping those less fortunate. I love Brighton jewelry, I love Vera Bradley, I love shoes and Yellow Box flip flops, I love Gymboree. But honestly when I think about paying $90 for a new Brighton watch or a new Vera bag, I don't think I can justify my love. I don't need anything of those things. I have enough. I'm buying to satisfy something that really can't be satisfied. I'll just want more. Bigger and better...that's the American way.
The opposite of poverty is not wealth. The opposite of povery is enough. I have enough. Do you have enough? If you have more than enough like me, then I think it's our responsibility to help those who don't have enough. They don't have shoes, they don't have clean water, they don't have sometimes even one meal a day, they don't have a mommy or a daddy or a warm blanket on a cold night.
This is just another reason that I'm going to Africa. I have enough. I need to pour out of my abundance, both spiritually and materially. I can leave my shoes and clothes in Africa because I have enough here that will be waiting in my closet for when I return. I can go without the luxury of three meals a day while I'm in Africa, because I have enough here.
I hope you'll pray and see if you have more than enough. I know you'll see that you do. What is God calling you to do? Maybe sponsor a child through Compassion. Maybe give to your local food pantry or volunteer at the Rescue Mission. Maybe you need to go on a mission trip and share from your abundance. Maybe you just need to start serving in your church on a regular basis.
I'm hear to testify that if you're not fulfilled spiritually, you're not pouring out. Give out of your abundance. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget none of His benefits...who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion...The LORD is compassionate and gracious....Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
3 comments:
I think most people probably think that if you work with me everyday then you have quite a bit of patience:) Good post.
We're not going to eat 3x a day? No one told me that:)
Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.
The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.
As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"
Once again, another great reminder, Alicia. You just keep it coming, because I just keep soaking it up. It's so what I need to hear.
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