The Importance of Compassion

It's important as Christians that we are compassionate to the needs of others '" the body of our church and individuals that compromise our sphere of influence.

Compassion is often difficult to administer to others, especially if people have rarely had compassion shown or modeled to them.

Two stories of compassion in the Bible to me are when Jesus heals the Leper in Mark, and when he administers the truth to the woman at the well in John.

In Mark, we hear the story of the leper, who has been outcast from society '" has very little relationships with others and is doomed to death. Yet, he has the courage to cover himself and try to find Jesus, who he believes can help save him. Now, Jesus could have turned this man away and told him to die alone. He could have continued walking along the path and just ignored the man '" but he didn't. He took the time to administer compassion to this man who was hurting physically and emotionally. He took the time to help him and to live a better life.

This is so amazing to me, as I'm sure there wasn't anyone else in the town that would have stopped for this man '" yet Jesus did.

In John with the Woman at the Well, Jesus comforts her and sheds light on the truth that he is the Lord and Savior. She could have ignored him '" but he had administered such compassion to her and forgiven her of all of her sins, right there on the spot. In this magical moment, she has seen her Savior and has such a renewed spirit that she is no longer afraid of being an outcast to society and runs amongst the town in search of people to minister the word of God.

While compassion that we can share to others doesn't have to seem so out of the box '" it can be provided through simple acts of kindness '" providing coffee and small talk to someone in need, or providing a meal for a family that is struggling '" a card to a student or teacher working towards goals you believe in '" or it can be visiting someone in the hospital with a magazine. Sharing compassion to others doesn't take a lot. Often, it is the simple acts that people delight in the most. I'm sure to Jesus the acts that he performed were simple '" yet we can see how compassionate he was with his simple acts of kindness.

It is our job as Christians to share with others in their need. What can you do today that will help show your compassion to others? How can Jesus live through you ?