I looked around the room and I saw a girl who seemed uncomfortable. She looked terrified to be in church, and she obviously didn’t know anyone in the group. I was faced with a choice. I could walk across the room and make her feel welcome, or I could sit down where I felt comfortable with people I had already built relationships with. The Holy Spirit nudged my heart and I crossed the uncomfortable line and invited her to sit with me.

I’m so thankful I did. That girl is now serving in her own ministry and now she is the one crossing the uncomfortable for others. How beautiful! Right? While this particular situation is a great victory, there are countless other examples of times when I sat down and looked the other way thinking it was someone else’s turn to make the walk across the uncomfortable.

I wonder what the world would look like if we practiced the same type of compassion Jesus did when He walked on this earth? Can you imagine if every time we felt compelled to give, help, or love, we actually followed through? What a beautiful place the world would be! What if we daily lived the gospel message of hope by reaching across the aisle, into other countries, beyond skin color and loved each other like Jesus?

In Jesus earthly ministry, the Bible says he had compassion when He saw the people. It doesn’t say, He had compassion after He evaluated their status, direction in life, or their past. He had compassion immediately – unconditional compassion.

For our own safety we guard ourselves from those who might take advantage of us, use us for our money, or steal once they get close enough. I wonder if we have it all wrong. The compassion Jesus had was not reserved for a particular person in the group who had gone through a screening process. He had compassion on the multitude, the crowd. His compassion reached beyond physical appearance, sinful pasts, and evil motives. He loved everyone. It’s so difficult to humanly comprehend the concept. We say we do, but our lives prove otherwise.

As we pray for our children to have compassionate hearts, to reach beyond the obvious and into lives that don’t seem easily lovable, I’m once again convicted to evaluate my own heart. Don’t we ALL need to practice participating in life with more compassion? I think this is what Jesus was exemplifying when He showed compassion to the crowds.

Whatever circle of people you join with this week, take a look around you and gaze beyond the physical appearance, the things you know, and the things you perceive to be true. Ask God to give you a lens of compassion and pray that your children will see through the same lens. Every person is important. Every person needs love. Every person needs Jesus. Who has God put in your life to show compassion, to love, to introduce to Jesus?

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36(ESV)

As we pray this month for our children to have compassionate hearts, let’s evaluate our own hearts and motives. It’s easy to teach and preach about compassion, it’s entirely different to practice it. Too often I see a need and want to fill it, but I hesitate because it seems difficult to get up from my seat and cross the invisible line of the uncomfortable. I wait and I completely miss the power of God speaking into my heart to help somebody.

Let’s have more compassion this month and let’s really do something about it. It might be uncomfortable at first, but it will be worth it.

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August
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December
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Love & Blessings,

Micah

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