Too often I find that the compassion of fellow man is dependent not on the heart of humanity, but rather the circumstances of the perceived injustice.
If a friend loses her job because the retail giant has just shut its doors without notice, you stand firmly by her side, angry with the corporate greed that initiated the disastrous chain of events.
If your neighbor struggles financially because they can’t afford their medical bills due to a terminally ill family member, you offer them your support. It’s not their fault insurance only covered a fraction.
Compassion and support tends to overflow when people are suffering.
Yet when the government shut down back just days before Christmas, heated rhetoric rolled off the tongues of many like lava bubbling up from a volcano:
“They’ll get paid eventually.”
(According to precedent, they hopefully will. But how long do you want to wait for your eventual paycheck?)
“They should have prepared for this.”
(Perhaps they did, but they spent their savings paying those medical bills. Or they just took an internship after graduate school, and had only just begun saving. Prepared or not should not matter with regard to whether or not we have compassion on them.)
“It’s not affecting me.”
(That’s because some are working hard, without current pay, to make sure flights navigate and land safely, our nation’s coast is protected, and our federal prisons are fully guarded. I could go on, but just because you don’t see the work being done does not mean it doesn’t affect you.)
I’m going to restate my thesis, because I believe it needs to be said again:
Too often I find that the compassion of fellow man is dependent not on the heart of humanity, but rather the circumstances of the perceived injustice.
Friends, do not allow your political beliefs determine your level compassion for others. Instead, seek to be compassionate toward others because Christ first loved us.
When the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) returned home after spending his inheritance, his father celebrated. Yet the older, more responsible brother was angered by his father’s compassion. You see, the father was not concerned with the circumstances that caused the prodigal to waste his money, he was instead gracious and compassionate, happy to have his child return.
When Jesus instructed his disciples to feed the 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44), his disciples initially complained that it would cost too much. “Couldn’t the people simply go into town and find food?” they asked. Jesus, though, was filled with compassion, and they ultimately had plenty fish and bread left over from feeding the crowd.
Jesus tells us in John 15:12 (ESV) “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
We can’t all create a bounty of food for thousands, and we are not able to solve every problem. That’s not what we’re called to do. However, we are called to a life of compassion. A life of love.
If a friend loses her job because the retail giant has just shut its doors without notice, you stand firmly by her side, angry with the corporate greed that initiated the disastrous chain of events.
If your neighbor struggles financially because they can’t afford their medical bills due to a terminally ill family member, you offer them your support. It’s not their fault insurance only covered a fraction.
Compassion and support tends to overflow when people are suffering.
Yet when the government shut down back just days before Christmas, heated rhetoric rolled off the tongues of many like lava bubbling up from a volcano:
“They’ll get paid eventually.”
(According to precedent, they hopefully will. But how long do you want to wait for your eventual paycheck?)
“They should have prepared for this.”
(Perhaps they did, but they spent their savings paying those medical bills. Or they just took an internship after graduate school, and had only just begun saving. Prepared or not should not matter with regard to whether or not we have compassion on them.)
“It’s not affecting me.”
(That’s because some are working hard, without current pay, to make sure flights navigate and land safely, our nation’s coast is protected, and our federal prisons are fully guarded. I could go on, but just because you don’t see the work being done does not mean it doesn’t affect you.)
I’m going to restate my thesis, because I believe it needs to be said again:
Too often I find that the compassion of fellow man is dependent not on the heart of humanity, but rather the circumstances of the perceived injustice.
Friends, do not allow your political beliefs determine your level compassion for others. Instead, seek to be compassionate toward others because Christ first loved us.
When the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) returned home after spending his inheritance, his father celebrated. Yet the older, more responsible brother was angered by his father’s compassion. You see, the father was not concerned with the circumstances that caused the prodigal to waste his money, he was instead gracious and compassionate, happy to have his child return.
When Jesus instructed his disciples to feed the 5,000 (Mark 6:30-44), his disciples initially complained that it would cost too much. “Couldn’t the people simply go into town and find food?” they asked. Jesus, though, was filled with compassion, and they ultimately had plenty fish and bread left over from feeding the crowd.
Jesus tells us in John 15:12 (ESV) “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
We can’t all create a bounty of food for thousands, and we are not able to solve every problem. That’s not what we’re called to do. However, we are called to a life of compassion. A life of love.