I choose kindness … I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me. —Max Lucado
I love the passages that talk about God being compassionate.
… for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. (2 Chronicles 30:9)
The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate … (Exodus 34:6)
Verses like these make it clear that God the Father is full of compassion for us. He really cares and He feels that caring toward you and me.
That is a very radical thought if you think about it. Compassion simply means “with passion,”—but consider the implications of these three words: God. Compassion. You. Your heavenly Father is not mechanical in His love for you; He feels it.
I was in the Philippines with a mission team during college. In one village, we came across a boy with leprosy. He was shunned by all—an untouchable. But the gracious pastor of the tiny evangelical church reached out with his hands. He was the only one willing to embrace the grotesque face, the stumps for hands, and the disfigured legs.
But I’ll never forget the morning I came around the corner and found this little boy sitting in the lap of one of my teammates, Randy. Randy had taught him how to play “Patty-cake.” As stumps hit palms, the distorted face burst into a twisted but pure smile, and I saw a visible picture of the compassion of God… with one big twist: I’m the boy sitting in the lap of God.
Father, sending Your Son to suffer for me was the ultimate form of compassion! Please help me to see the world through Your eyes so I may also show Your compassion to the world! Amen.