Compassion, Pass it on

Compassion is the concern of someone’s suffering or misfortune. 

This is profound, because when God first revealed his name, it was to Moses, and one of the first things he called himself was, compassionate. This means God has concern about our suffering and misfortune. 

“The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Exodus‬ ‭34:6‬

This is the first time he revealed his name to anyone, and the emphasis is compassion, mercy, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. These attributes of God are profound because first, we don’t deserve and second, we don’t earn it. Therefore, we receive compassion from God because it’s who he is.

Today, God’s compassion is extended to you and me. He sees our struggles and has empathy for what we’ve walked through. He understands who we are and what we do; therefore, with compassion, he redeems us and changes our lives.

This is why we must receive compassion and then, pass it on.

Understanding this about God has a profound impact on how we navigate ourselves and others. After all, we can be our worst critic, and we can be the same toward others. 

The truth is, we don’t gravitate toward compassion. We don’t naturally give this to others because we’re focused on ourselves; and furthermore, we struggle to love ourselves. This is why I believe we’re seeing an increase in outburst of anger, hatred, violence and revenge. It seems the lines have been drawn and if you’re not with me, then you’re against me.

This rhetoric is not only dangerous, it’s not biblical. However, I’ve seen Christian’s operate like this in the last couple of years, and it must stop.

It’s my belief that there’s an invisible barrier we all face, and that’s the barrier of compassion. 

So often we find ourselves pressed up against this and what we do when this happens, determines so much. 

We can choose to break through it and give compassion to those around us. When we do this, we’re acting like Christ, which empowers us to release the Holy Spirit to them. This is where miracles happen, and people see Jesus in action. This is where prayers are answered and things begin to shift, because when we break through the compassion barrier, God shows up.

We can also choose to not break through this barrier and retreat when confronted with it. Sadly, this is what happens most of the time because it’s not our first response, especially when those who need this are different than us. This is where nothing happens, miracles don’t take place, and we get stuck in our small world, instead of bringing Jesus to the world.

In truth, we’ve all chosen to not break through the compassion barrier, because it’s hard work. We have to overcome ourselves and others. We have to navigate what will happen next and, moreover, we have to decide, if we’ll lose ourselves in Christ. 

When we lose ourselves, we gain more of himself in us!

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John‬ ‭3:30‬

Jesus wants us to receive his compassion and then pass it on. He wants to be moved with compassion, just like he was, in the gospels. He wants us to break through this barrier and do something with our faith. It’s not what we know about Jesus, it’s giving Jesus away because we know him! This happens when we break through the compassion barrier. 

“And on some have compassion, making a distinction;”

Jude‬ ‭1:22‬

This is how God made in difference in our lives. He has compassion for our suffering and misfortune, and he did something about it. He gave Jesus and now, we can be saved from our sins, healed of our issues and have a home with him in heaven. 

Therefore, because he made a difference in our lives, he’s asking us to make a difference in others lives, through compassion. 

Right now, we need to break through this barrier. We need to lay down our arguments and debates, to reach the hearts of others. We need to overcome our issues, so we can help others overcome their issues. God has called to make a difference, not argue points. 

The truth is, our obedience has to go past our knowledge. It’s not what we know, it’s what we do that brings Jesus alive to others.

We can do this. One day at a time and one moment at a time. If we miss it, that’s ok, we have new mercies every day. So we have another chance to break this barrier and make a difference, through compassion.

I encourage you today, rise above politics, rise above your arguments, rise above the safe places of your opinions and reach out and give compassion to those around you. This is where God is and this is where he will move through our lives.

This is our moment. This is our time.

Compassion, pass it on.

The best is yet to come,

PD