compassion

 2020 – the difficult, painful year for many has come to an end. One of the questions we can ask, is – have we learned the lessons God had for us in 2020? 

We had the opportunity to demonstrate love, patience in suffering, and faith to a broken world – and I don’t think we learned how to do that. Instead, so many have defined themselves by political position, denomination or a particular, often narrow, doctrinal focus – a series in a long line of horrible choices the faithful have made through the years.

In John 5, we have the account of a man by the pool of Bethesda. 

“Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’” [5:3-6 NIV]

Some find it odd that Jesus would ask someone a question with an obvious answer – until I wonder how many times we’ve answered “no” to the same question. The pain you know, can become like a home you’re afraid to leave.

As we look back on 2020 and look forward in 2021.

• Trauma therapists will have steady bookings for the next twenty years.
• For our neighbours to the south, the next three weeks are probably the most dangerous time since 9-11 or the Bay of Pigs.
• Many of the divisions between people that came from political and COVID-19 strife are locked in and will not be changing anytime soon.
• The church is still learning to be the church in a different environment.
• Pre 2020 “normal” is not coming back anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the world’s heart is breaking

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” Mark 6:34

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion.” Colossians 3:12

The verses above are about compassion – Jesus’ compassion and the compassion we are to have. 

Worldwide someone dies from COVID-19 every couple of minutes. By the time you finish reading this piece, you can add a few more to the list. And these are deaths we’re talking about. The number of people who get sick is much higher.

But do we feel that? 

It is hard, if you don’t know someone who is personally struggling with this. It’s hard to relate to these deaths unless there is an empty seat at your table.

Compassion is moving someone else’s experience closer to home, and we enter into the pain, hurt, disappointment, anxiety that others experience.

We have just come through the season of Advent and Christmas, where we say “Merry Christmas” many, many times. If everything associated with Christ was merry (and don’t get me wrong – merriment is good) why would God place a baby among killers intent on killing young baby boys? It is God’s genius that placed logic and reason up against grace to trump the law with love, and to find redemption in the innocence of a baby born in dirty, spiky hay.

While the heart of the world is breaking, we can know that the heart of God is breaking too. And since the heart of God is in us, we can see one another from His perspective; we can take on His compassion. This is how compassion for people becomes real to us and spills over into our neighbourhood and our world – as we live out of the heart of God.

Yes, the heart of the world is breaking, but so is God’s heart, and as we take on His heart, our hearts will break too.