Before I get to what I want to discuss today I want to testify about one of the toughest issues of my life. I grew up the first half my life looking for love that was returned the same way I gave it. This varied from time to time from it being family, classmates, and friends. I also grew up my life mostly coming up empty on this search. And after a season of my life passed with this reality of no reciprocity coming back to me I essentially gave up on being a compassionate person. It then became all about me and what others were not doing. It was about living with the proverbial “chip on my shoulder” and being constantly frustrated with what others had not done. It became about how others had hurt me and how I could not let go of why people continued to do so. The bulk of my teenage years were in a selfish self-loathing hatred for those whom never were there and did not care. And as I lived as the victim the enemy was there to be my shoulder to cry on in the form of drugs, alcohol and all forms of hindrances that left me in utter misery and bondage. The greatest part of my testimony is not just the deliverance from the substances and hindrances that held me down for all of my youth; for when I had a heart that was hurt from not receiving an equal or more powerful love God came to my rescue. God’s love came to my detriment and picked me up again. God’s love was ultimately there for me even when I had done nothing or gave anything to God first. God had compassion on me. He not only transformed what was ailing me but caused me to be loved the way I had always longed for!
One of the hardest risks to take with a relationship another person is that the love, respect and understanding you give and share to that person is not given back in the same manner to which you gave it. The fact of the matter is that sometimes it is not or never returned. Sometimes people will only want what you can give and never show reciprocity in kind. And just like a crisp slap in the face reality comes and reminds us from time to time of just how frail our emotions really are when it comes to the impact of others. Whether this circumstance appears in your acquaintances, friend, foe or family does not make the pain any less hurtful to your heart. Boundaries and lines will be crossed, people you would expect more of will let you down, and emotions will flare irrationally and unexpectedly to your preparation. What you have to remember is that what you do for others should cause you to expect little in return and to be content with getting nothing back. Jesus gave his life for all of us who did nothing to be worthy of His love. This same love we should give to all. We should do our due diligence to help others, even when it is in the middle of the night and inconvenient. Compassion is the virtue of God that comes out of us when we still help people in spite of what they do to us.
This is why compassion is so powerful. Compassion does not give regard to reciprocity. Compassion gives in spite of what is given back. Compassion sees the need and meets it despite the want that may lie within. The most powerful miracles that Jesus brought forth as a man on earth all derived from the compassion he had upon those to whom others said were not deserving of love or help. Compassion is not shrouded under the weight of guilt or the obligation of ones duty to do something because they have to. If you want to know the rest of what compassion/charity/love is to be, read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Be reminded that the good you do for others should not be expecting an equal or greater investment back from them. In fact, people may give little or no respect for your life or decisions. And if I could go one step further I would say that they will even come after you to guilt you about what you have not done (even after all that you have already did).That comes as a surprise, right? Even though it does it should not alarm us at the rate it does. In fact, scripture leads us to tackle this sort of behavior with wisdom:
Matthew 7:1-11
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Wait a minute! I have looked at this passage all my life with the wrong outlook.I now know that this is not a call for people to do things just because they want it done right to themselves; this is actually quite the deeper call to society to have compassion for the most difficult of needs. If people need you would you turn the compassion away that was shown you? By the simple fact alone that you were undeserving of God’s love yet you received it should tell us all that there is never a need too big nor too small that we should be attempting to do our best to help.
Compassion says: “I see that I do not have to do this for you. I was once given a love I did not deserve. So by this love I pay it forward to someone else.” The evidence of God in your life after all is that you love your brother with compassion (or as you would have yourself to be loved). I’m at peace today and will spend the latter part of my life doing my best to help others and to accept that it may never return. I’m at peace because I know even when others despitefully use me and give no respect that I have the favor and love of the greatest savior and friend I have ever known. Peace is with me today because of the compassion God gave me through Jesus Christ!
Let this small little blurb be a reminder of what compassion is, what it should mean to you, and what you should be doing with it!