Compassion is the deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relive it. Often it can be interchanged with the words: pity, mercy & sympathy.
When I think of compassion the first thing that crosses my mind are those T.V. commercials with the little children or dogs. The sad, depressing music & celebrities cries for me to give 10 cents a day. And I change the channel. I absolutely hate watching that. I understand why they work; for who can resist the pathetic guilty stupor that overpowers us as we are lounging on the couch with our favorite show on and laptop out? I can, by changing the channel.
That is my view of compassion and I am not alone. When confronted with the concept many are frustrated. Why must I be compassionate? Many couple it with weakness in the character of the person who is showing it. Very commonly the biggest issue of extending compassion is who is receiving it. What kind of person is it that deserves compassion? The Homeless, poor, broken, dirty? WHY are these people in the state they are in? Whatever the reason for their "issue" I am sure that it is justified in some way. WHAT does their life have to do with mine? I am a lower middle-ish class person who works hard for money, lives on a budget, has a family to support. I have no time to give.
I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way either!
I was sitting in Starbucks with my hot chocolate in hand and laptop out. Mentally I was trying to figure out how I was going to get away from the sorrow that had settled in my soul. I had been in Texas for a week(ish) & was feeling alone. Really alone. Which is odd because there were plenty of family around. But change was taking its toll on my heart. "Are you from Oregon?" A girl asked. She was sitting across me in one of the chairs. I was a little surprised. "Yes." "Oh wow, me too! I am...." Me & this lady chatted for about 10 minutes about Oregon, Texas, and the whys and hows of our moving. At the end of our conversation she said, "It was really nice to meet you. I know you probably feel lonely but you can do this. Have a great night." She left me wondering at how & why. The how was easy; I was wearing an Oregon sweatshirt. The why took me a bit longer to understand.
Compassion is seeing another person & engaging them. Once you are engaged you can start to comprehend who they are & even what they really need. If you choose to meet their need, you are being compassionate. Your best friend could be needing your compassion. Your co-worker, spouse, the cashier ringing up your groceries. If your really bold, it could even be the stranger on her laptop at Starbucks, who is not smiling. She could really use a moment of uncomfortable compassion.
Compassion is not only giving to the stranger on the corner or donating to the T.V. program because you feel guilty for what you have. In fact, compassion really does not ask you to even give a dime.
"A man with leprosy came & knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. "If you want to, you can make me well again," he said.
Moved with compassion, Jesus touched him. "I want to," He said. "Be healed!" Instantly the leprosy disappeared- the man was healed." (Mark 1:40-42)
If you want to, you can....
Look at another person instead of down at your phone. Say "hi" to a stranger instead of looking around or through them. Warning! This will be super uncomfortable. Our society, my generation has been programed to avoid verbal contact with other humans. Seriously, I do not lie. We don't talk on the phone anymore, we text. We play games online & watch T.V. & movies together.
A couple of days ago I saw a kid listening to music while playing games on his phone & his friend (who had come over to visit) doing the same thing. Wha?! You can not tell me that this is a good thing. Last night I was sitting in the living room (Sammy was in bed) and EVERY person in that room was on either a laptop or cell phone & the T.V. was on. Do we even know how to talk to each other any more? I am needy! I need people. I need to be engaged. But it is so much easier to look down at my phone or text someone then face a room of people I don't know. It is like I have forgotten how to hold a conversation that is not riddled with LOL's.
We, as people, have the ability to being joy, hope, peace, love, growth into the lives of other people. If we want to, we can... How can we meet the needs of others when we are so damn distracted? The answer is simple. We can't & won't. (Minus the occasional moment of compassionate brilliance that is passed through a text message.)
Moved with compassion, Jesus touched him. (and he was healed!!)
Well that is a topic we will have to save for another night!
My goal: See people, engage them & act with compassion.
You're AWESOME!!! I have no other words because I'm sitting her in AWE of you and your beautiful heart!!! Love you sweetie!
ReplyDeleteThank you dearest. It is my absolute privilege!
DeleteThis is AMAZING. You are so inspiring Crista! Would you mind if I shared this post? I love you!
ReplyDeleteAlicia, please share whatever you like :-)
Delete& thank you, it truely is my privilege!
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