I believe in compassion.
I sometimes wonder about the times in my life where I ignored a person in need of compassion. Where I didn’t embrace a crying stranger, or didn’t give a little change to the man begging on the street corner. It can be so easy for us to ignore another’s suffering because we don’t want to feel the pain from the burden they carry on their shoulders. Ideally, it would be so much easier to walk by and act as if nothing was the matter, go about our own lives and keep our shoulders free of all the extra weight.
Sadly, I know I have just walked by and ignored the suffering because I am selfish. Thankfully Jesus isn’t! He would never walk by or look away but instead would carry us with a warm embrace and give a shoulder to cry on. He always has been and always will be there with sympathy and sorrow to make our suffering his own; no matter how heavy the burden.
1st Peter 3:8 says “Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.” As Christians, we are to show compassion, not only to our family and friends, but to the poor, sick, disabled, healthy, and even to our enemies. We are to swallow our pride and love everyone unconditionally because that is what God would do. It is what he does. Many times in the bible it says that Jesus was “moved with compassion towards them.” Towards the little children, towards the leper and towards the 4000 whom he fed with seven loaves of bread and a few fish. My prayer for us on this team is that, like Jesus, we will be moved with compassion towards the people of South Africa. That we will not think twice about helping them, feeding them, embracing and most importantly loving them. I believe that out of compassion, our team will do wonderful, beautiful things that will change our lives forever.
