Five Compassion Practices
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” – 2 Corinthians 1:3
Dear Friends,
Following our first Sunday back to our “traditional” schedule with services at 8:30a and 11a, and our amazing picnic – praise God the rain held off – I’m still ruminating on parts of the sermon. In particular, it’s Jesus’ motivation of compassion that I’ve been pondering. It’s not a “new” thing – we have over 30 times throughout the Old Testament where God is described as compassionate, so we shouldn’t be surprised when God shows up, wrapped in flesh and being compassionate.
What I’ve been thinking about though, is how, practically, I can grow in my compassion towards others. I mean, I can’t heal anyone’s diseases or miraculously turn five loaves of bread into enough to feed four thousand plus people – no matter how much I practice!
But I have come up with a five things that I’m going to commit to working on my own life, in order that I’d grow in compassion as I grow in Jesus.
See People
When Jesus sat down on that hillside, he didn’t ignore the people that came to him. He wasn’t too busy, or too hungry himself, to notice. He wasn’t flipping through something on his cell phone or glancing past them. He saw them, the people who were right in front of him. I think the first step in growing compassion is to see the people who are right there in front of us.
Empathize with Others
Jesus also puts himself in their place, imagining what their needs must be, given the circumstances. Sure, they’re coming to him and being healed, but he also recognized an un-spoken need that surely must have existed after three days of being together – “they’re probably hungry!” Beyond just seeing people, empathizing with them, with their particular situation, as different as it often is from mine, is a second step, I believe, where we can grow in compassion.
Be Curious
Jesus turns his empathy toward curiosity, when he asks his disciples about what they have. We don’t have any idea of what Jesus was planning, if he even was planning anything, but you can see how his empathy arouses curiosity. That can be like a string we pull that unravels a whole lot of assumptions on our part and leads to both a deeper understanding and greater possibilities. So often, I think I have it figured out, but with a little curiosity, a few good questions, I may come to a very different place, and all of the sudden, my heart has expanded in ways I hadn’t imagined before.
Hold Loosely
Remember the seagulls in Finding Nemo? “Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine” Well, I can be a little too possessive from time to time too. And it’s silly. It’s completely motivated by fear – that somehow I’ll loose out, I’ll be left out, I won’t have what I need – it’s what keeps a closet full of junk from getting cleaned out. So I have to, I will, hold things loosely, recognizing everything I have, I don’t own, I’m just a steward, a caretaker for a little while and that it’s there to be used and available to others too.
Remember…
All of the times where God provided for me, all of the times where God provided for others, all of the times where God’s grace and mercy overflowed, where God’s compassion was displayed in lavish ways. Remembering these events – whether in the the scriptures, in other people’s lives, or in my own, helps to fortify me against those fears, and helps my hands and heart to be open so that my compassion can grow.
Compassion is more than a feeling, it’s a muscle, and the more we work it, the stronger it becomes, until one day, people can look at us like Jesus, and recognize it as a central part of our identity. Here’s to growing in compassion together this coming year!
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus,
Pastor Don