Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

COMPASSION As the poet Longfellow says, "Life is real! Life is earnest!" Life is not a game; we live in a world of injustice, heartbreak, sorrow, and pain. Christ desires that we be filled with compassion as we live in such a world. That is His underlying message when He says: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. We all need compassion at some time. There is a law of God that states with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Matthew 7:2). If we give compassion to others, we will receive compassion during our time of need. Marriages are built on failures as well as successes. There will be disappointments with jobs, trials and frustrations with projects, and financial difficulties. Through all this, God desires that we learn compassion one for the other. The marriage ceremony says, "...for better or for worse." Jesus says we are to show and share compassion. This is more than a mere endurance of one another during painful periods. It is nursing illnesses, ministering to broken spirits, and mending heartbreaks. Our thinking, Jesus says, should not be self-centered, focusing only on our own needs. Love does not demand its own way--it gives, and gives, and gives again.