Look for moments of compassion throughout your day and night! Would love to hear your thoughts when you catch a moment!
I had a moment at 3:39 am last night when a text message from someone I hardly ever hear from made way to my phone and gave me an alert and I awoke. My attitude was filled with compassion so I was able to easily go back to sleep and rest and re-enter my day with joy and peace.
Compassion is so high in priority on the characteristics Jesus portrayed for all to see and hear that it makes it easy for images of Jesus to appear! Look for them and share!
“He was moved with compassion.”—Matthew 9:36.
thedailylily.com 
Lord, make me aware of the opportunities that pass before me every day, that I would not ‘miss’ it. This is an interesting little episode in my life.
Our Sunday School lesson this week teaches on being oblivious to the needs all around us…as we walk down the street, or into a store…and there they are all surrounding us…… myriads of people who need Jesus.
There is a certain an ‘associate’ in a certain facility who is quite rude to the customers. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately….he works in several store where I shop. So…he has had the opportunity to be rude in several scenarios. My first thought after several encounters was to ‘complain’ about him to superiors.
I have really been exasperated by his attitude.
But as I have contemplated that move the Holy Spirit has gradually been softening the edginess of my heart, little by little. and I have begun to realize that he must be working day and night to feed his family, to raise his standard of living, perhaps, or whatever his reasons. Maybe he works so many shifts and that is why he is grumpy.
My retaliatory rudeness or displeasure toward him is not a legitimate antidote for the problem. I am asking the Lord to relieve me of the burden of offense and to have compassion on this man…to pray for him, his family, that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers into his path to tell him about Jesus Christ.
I am thinking that I ‘could have been one of the laborers’ if I had had more compassion on him and not been offended by his attitude & demeanor.
MG, thoughts are powerful. Glad you are realizing compassion spilled only multiplied the offense.
As the prayer lists for healing and deliverance gets longer and longer, our compassion for some of God’s saints in their suffering, grows and grows. I desire for them to be well, to be healed, to be delivered from the afflictions that the enemy of their souls cast upon them.
Some of them, I do not know, but I know their GOD! So let our hearts overflow with unfeigned compassion, like Jesus’ heart.
I know that He is the Healer , Jehovah Rophe’ and when the leper said to Jesus, “If Thou wilt, Thou can make me whole,” Jesus said….”I WILL”. What compassion!!
Compassion – what a WORD that describes the character trait of the Lord Jesus as MG says. The hearts of thedailylilies also flow with compassion and I’m hear to say I was one of those saints who was broken. By WORD and Deeds of kindness I may have been a broken vessel but they so ministered to me that I could never ever repay all the long unending hours spent in prayer, all the unending hours spent on the phone counseling and advising and encouraging as at the time I could hardly stand. I am able to stand with all the encouragement from these wonderful lilies who wrote a card, shared in fellowship, called, and helped. I also would like to think a sister who reaquainted me to my talent on the sewing machine. Somehow I had lost part of me – the artisan in the valley of brokeness.
I have been so touched by the concern that people have expressed to me – opening their homes and fellowshiping and giving of their help in setting up a new home and encouraging me in the journey with Jesus which lies ahead of me.
On of the items that encourages me the most is something Sara wrote for me that I now keep on my refrigerator of who I am and am to become. Sara is a lady of words I know is the voice of Jesus placed inside her to give HOPE to the saints.
This may have been shared on this site. If not it will now me. As I hold on to it tightly:
Behind the Lady Ink and Quill lies a broken vessel waiting to be filled.
The Pieces are scattered like a war-torn heart.
Hurtful words like arrows to the soul broke the heart
And leaked the soul.
O medcine one where are you to stitch the wound
And stop the leak?
The stitches appear by the softness of voice;
The beauty of nature begins to appear.
O Tree, Sea and Skies.
Birds, feathers and their lullabies,
Change the leak to a song and tune.
The quill dances like notes to a tune.
The colors show light lighting on a pad.
Eyes are aglow from light of the soul.
“What happened?” yelled the voice from deep within?”
“Don’t you remember me?” I am the Healer from deep within!
Don’t be afraid to show who you are. A skilled artisan I am.
Take your quill and ink it well.
Write, paint, and play the scales.
When the score begins to form with the spirit of a star,
You’ll see you are a point
on the sphere of a five pointed star.”
Thank you Sara and thank you Jesus my healer within.
In our BSF lesson it ask then what do we do having such compassion shown to us.
I will tell you that God will have worked on your character to be like His son you will do whatever he says. Pray – SEW – encourage – clean – paint – Sing – and the list goes on. As I walk along side others as Sara did me may they always focus on the LORD JESUS CHRIST WHO MADE IT ALL SO WE CAN HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER.
LOVE THE SONG – JESUS PAID ALL, ALL TO HIM TO HIM I OWE.
Whoa, Rena, thanks for the moment of compassion I just received by reading your poem. I was able to internalize dancing words that just energized my soul. My mind jumped with magical thoughts. One, being, make available the poem to the lady that awoke me last night and help with the mending of her soul. (Hopefully by encouraging her to search out the wonders of love, peace and joy on this site);
I heard two stories yesterday of special ladies trying to be a help to elderly parents and having their hearts broken by harsh words that may have generated from Alherizmers and other related dementia issues.
Look, Rena, look your love letter poem from the Spirit that can teacher and heal many others when shared.
“Hurtful words like arrows to the soul broke the heart
And leaked the soul.
O medcine one where are you to stitch the wound
And stop the leak?”
Miraculous, prayerful, soulful words that cry to the Great Physician come and heal our wounds so we can remain in the race and finish our life’s work that will grant big dividends on the day Jesus calls our name.
Love, love, love the poem. When shared under the bright light of internet I fill flooded with hope admist my tears!
I agree that the poem of Sara’s is a beautiful poem of the depth of God’s compassion. I love the part, “Change the leak to a song and tune.” God’s compassion is action.
“Would love to hear your thoughts when you catch a moment!”
“compassion |kəmˈpa sh ən|
noun
sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others :”
God sent His only Son to earth to die a cruel death, for a sinful world. Now that is compassion!
Tammy, That is truly compassion! And, He didn’t ask us to shed blood for our own sins or sins of others. But, to have a little compassion. Long-suffering, kindness, gentleness and the list is endless in the ways we can help alleviate the sufferings and misfortunes of others.
As I age and hopefully grow in wisdom I am seeing it takes practice and that being obedience to walk in the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5). If we are not obedient to God by following the teachings of Jesus Christ and yielding to the prompting of The Holy Spirit how can we have any compassion to share? Tammy’s illustration of Jesus on a cross surely shows us compassion is not some feel good when I feel like it emotion to offer to another. That would be so shallow we would drown in our self it seems.
I had a ‘moment of compassion’ to listen to and engage in a long hard conversation on a Saturday night instead of enjoying what I thought a Saturday night should be.
When we look for moments and share as Our blog suggest…”Look for moments of compassion throughout your day and night! Would love to hear your thoughts when you catch a moment!” I think we will be surprised how many are given to us and how many we give. When we share it shows we have recognized and grateful for the moment. I just have the strongest belief it brings a shift in the atmosphere of the earth. My reason is found in I Th 5:16-18! Try it !
I want to renter the verse and (s) from Matthew 9 “The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few..; vs. 35) “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36) When he saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37)?Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 ) therefore spray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to tsend out laborers into his harvest.”
Compassion as Jesus had to move Him to heal…to request others to pray….so others would go with compassion…
Sara, your Holy Spirit poem to & for Rena, I see as really a message to mankind, truly encompassing several of the reasons Jesus came. “…to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance”…the good news that one could be set free in Jesus Christ…”to preach recovery of sight”….the spiritual as well as the physical…those things that have blinded us from Truth… ”And to set at liberty those that are bruised and to comfort all who mourn in Zion.” As Rena writes above in her comments, ‘that about covers it’. As I read your ”prophecy-poem” again, it stirred up something in my heart.
About the day after your Compassion blog had been posted I picked up a random devotional from a book stand and it almost, by itself, flipped to a ”random”page [so I thought] and found a caveat to Christians to discern between the ‘touchy-feely-pity-sympathy-emotional’ kind of compassion and the Jesus kind of compassion that you described above. Now, I am searching my heart to see just what is true, Jesus-like compassion. I think about the people that I am praying for….for healing, for salvation, for consolation…and the motivation behind all my prayers.
I want to pray authentic prayers.; not just a laundry list. Do I pray because it’s the ‘right thing to do’ or because it is a request that someone I love has asked me to pray even if I don’t know the person for whom I pray? Can I be encouraged by the fact that God so loved the world….mankind…that He sent His only begotten Son Who also….’so loved the world’ that He came? I want to be motivated by that kind of compassion. To ‘love’ those I pray for, like Jesus does loves them.
When I looked up the word ‘empathy’ I began to understand, a little, a springboard toward true compassion. Jesus had TRUE COMPASSION on the cross where He took every single, solitary sin, sickness, disease, oppression, depression, rejection for each of us. He “resonated with the emotional and physical….[ and spiritual, I add[….states of mankind’’ [vocabulary.com] and literally took them onto Himself.
To sense in my heart/spirit the distress of those who are suffering so brings my intercessions before the throne of Grace, supplication and mercy ”to bring great help in time of need.”
“Look for them and share!”
Even though Sara encouraged with this statement and gave two great examples of compassion above, I have been unable to come up with any, even though I think I am ‘looking’ and want to ‘share’. Something is wrong! because I believe and agree with Sara’s other comment about how many there must be… ” I think we will be surprised how many are given to us and how many we give.”
Today I had a moment of compassion given and at first could not even see it. Sara shared an example of compassion about a recent experience from a restaurant waiter regarding a dessert. Then within a few minutes of that story my fortune cookie was about ‘telling someone’ (paraphrased). That example Sara gave opened my eyes to ‘see’ a couple of moments of compassion I had experienced recently. I realized I have been blinded and insensitive to compassion around me. Not grateful or thankful, so not seeing and then sharing.
One compassion moment I can now see to share was given from a co-worker who saw me drinking tea one day and shared about her love of teas, particularly those with cardamom in them. Well, the next day she brought two different ones to share with me to try. Compassion.
Then about a week ago I was in Home Depot and someone in the paint department took extra time to make a call and research a product for me and then make some recommendations (that worked!). Compassion.
Today there were other compassionate moments when people went out of their way to offer or do something nice or special. And times when God showed compassion with some purchases needed.
Thank you Sara for many moments of compassion, helping me to finally begin to see and to face the reason why I could not see…sin in me.
Debi, nice tea time story! I like your nameless co-worker. They are in a special class of society! Tea time stories and sharing of tea could possibly cover more than a city block! I know it’s big. For years I have surrounded myself with tea books. One I can see from this very view, “The Twelve Teas of Friendship.”
I must say what a lovely gift of friendship compassion given to you. Cardamom denotes a scent of kindness. A whoa story!
Lovely perfumes delight me as I pass the cosmetic counters. I enjoy the fragrance and walk on. I have learned that the notes play a part in the moment… top/head notes, middle/heart notes, and base notes; yes, keep walking and keep my $’s in pocket for another more useful item for me. I am finding compassion has similar notes. Am I able to discern the difference?
As I pondered the examples given from dictionary on the word compassion;Examples: ” treats the homeless with great compassion…
has no compassion for people who squander their money”
My conclusion…I know little on prefumes and/or compassion!
“I am finding compassion has similar notes. Am I able to discern the difference? ”
As I thought about this, I kept thinking on one of your previous blogs, Sara, “Rhythms of Grace” and went back to re-read about how “Grace is rhythm and rhythm is grace.” And a related comment “Every human on earth can enjoy the songs of love sung in hope, grace notes and peace pursues.” Perhaps these ‘grace notes’ are needed to be able to discern about compassion.
God’s grace(iousness) and compassion seem to keep beat together in the praise Psalm of 145: 8,9, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”
Yes, Sara….making me think….. I wonder if compassion ever arises in my heart….like when I see someone blundering, acting rudely, being selfish…..does compassion rise up in my heart for those people, maybe like it would have in the heart of Jesus Christ? Say, like when He saw the sinful masses and His heart filled with compassion for them for they were like lost sheep, without a shepherd….needing Jesus and not knowing it.
I was like that, once ……. Thank God He had compassion on me and with love, redeemed me from my sinful ways…on my way to hell. Oh thank God for that kind of compassion.