After reflecting a few days after the irate comment left on my blog, I’ve come to a few conclusions. A friend on facebook also point this out…a lot of Christians lack compassion. Why is that? We should be looking at people making decisions that don’t line up with scripture with compassion. That dear girl was so ANGRY at me for something I quoted. Or so it seemed… I think she was hurting from living in a sinful world and a Christian (maybe) who lacked a fundamental of our faith…compassion. I’m glad that this young woman found my blog and I was able to give her some compassion…at least I hope she read my response. I have definitely prayed for her. But for now, I want to address compassion in Christianity. This might be a long post people…forgive me!
The word compassion is mentioned in scripture a minimum of 88 times. Most of those times it refers to the character of God or God’s compassion on His people. When looking at the Lord’s “official” names you will see many that imply His compassion. For example, El Shaddai and El Roi. Let’s take a brief look at these two names.
El Shaddai means “God Almighty” but when looking a the Hebrew a little closer a deeper understanding lays just beneath the surface. El stands for His power, creatorship and covenant making. Shaddai describes an all-bountiful power coming from the Hebrew word “shad” meaning a woman’s breast. It implies a “poured forth” blessing as a mother nurses her child. This name thus reveals a very tender and loving parent-child relationship with the Creator. Psalm 1:1-3 can clearly outline this blessing of love when we stay “in Christ.” Shouldn’t we, as Christians, spread forth the joy of this blessing? He is and has been very compassionate us when we did not deserve it!
El Roi comes from the Hebrew root word that means “of sight” thus implying a God who sees. It is used one time in the scriptures (see Gen 16-1-6). It is the story of Hagar, a woman thrown out with her child from the camp of Sarah and Abraham. The Lord heard Hagar’s cries and went to her in a time of need. He had compassion on her while she was in distress. Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Compassion. Not judging. Let’s look at Jesus, shall we?
Read John 4 – the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. She was there at the 6th hour (noon) collecting water…not the typical time of day for women of the scriptures to collect water. This was done during the morning hours when it was cool. This woman felt she could no longer associate with the others in the mornings…she avoided them. She was in pain from her sin. Jesus knew this and met her at the well to give her “living water” and provide hope and care for her soul. He was compassionate to her in her pain from living in a sinful world and making poor choices. He was gentle and loving to her. He saved her life through compassion!
Looking at Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 5 you can determine what was on His mind concerning this world:
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus taught compassion for a hurting world. Healing for the sick. Salvation for our souls. As Christians we need to reflect upon these basic tenants of our faith. Drawing upon the compassion of Christ to reach out to the hurting people living in this sinful world. Yes, they have made bad choices. We should not let them off the hook for their sinful choices, BUT we are to do this in love and with compassion. This world piles upon us more burdens than we can bear. Christians are fortunate that we have Christ and the Holy Spirit to draw upon in the trials of our lives. Non-believers do not have this luxury…they turmoil without hope.
Please, fellow Christian, if you find yourself confronted with a person needing to hear Christ, speak with compassion. Jesus was strong in His message of salvation for he never let anyone off the hook, but He was compassionate in the delivery. I’ll end with this from Matthew 11:28-30:
28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Let’s not burden the hurting anymore than they already are, dear Christian.
Musings of a Christian Mom 