When
I use the word compassion, I am not referring to an inclusiveness or blind acceptance.
However, we can agree to disagree. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinions and
beliefs, and we cannot deprive each other of this privilege.
We
simply give people space to come to God on their own volition. That is the only
way for them to find true conversion, rather than a partial conviction from their
attempt to please us. We facilitate this process by showing them nurturing
compassion.
A
compassionate person rejoices with those who rejoice, and feels sorrow with
those who are sad or have lost their hope. Jesus is our ultimate example of
this, because even while we were still sinners, He paid our ransom, and freed
us from all condemnation (Romans 5:8, 8:1).
In
situations such as divorce, betrayal, abandonment, neglect, rejection, etc. it
is not always easy to find compassion in our heart for the other person. When
this occurs, we simply give our self permission to feel our pain during our
quiet times.
We
gift our self with many private occasions to fully feel these intense negative
emotions. Journaling our thoughts and feelings, we rid our soul of their
destructive grip on our life. We meditate on God's Word, and listen to His
Spirit in order to gain His perspective on the matter.
Resisting
these strong emotions only pushes them deep into our subconscious mind, then
they resurface when some current issue reminds us of past experiences. We heal
more quickly by allowing our self to completely deplete the intensity of the
destructive feelings.
This
allows us to feel, release, and then let go - practically unscathed by this
horrendous experience. We change our focus from what we lost, to all that God
provides for us in this new chapter of our life. His goodness is greater than
anything that Satan attempts to use to cripple us.
Prayer:
Father
God, when we look for Your mighty hand in the midst of our trials, we realize
that You have everything in Your complete control. Nothing in our life
surprises You. Your many gifts to us of kindness, compassion, peace and joy
bring us fulfillment like nothing this earth has to offer (Isaiah 63:7).
You
long to be gracious to us, to defend us, and to show compassion to us. You are
the God of justice; and, we can always count on Your blessings for us (Isaiah
30:18). You have great plans for us in spite of our losses (Isaiah 54:10). We
give You praise and glory for what You do for us and in us, each day of our
life.
Thought
for the Day:
Though
the foundation of our life is shaken, or we lose the security we took a
lifetime to procure, and the comfort of our routine is forcefully removed from
our control, God never loses His grip on us, or His compassion for us; we will
never let go of Him, regardless of the torrent of issues that assail us on a
weekly basis, because God always has compassion on us, gives us His guidance,
and leads us beside peaceful springs of refreshing.
-
Isaiah 49:10
