Compassion

I've recently been assessing the compassion levels in my life.

In the gospel we're told Jesus often was moved with compassion for people - the word used is 'splagchnizomai' which means 'to be moved in one's bowels'! When Jesus saw hurting people he was moved in his gut and the deepest seat of his affections.

If you do a search through the gospels you'll find that when Jesus felt compassion for people it led to an action. (He healed, taught, fed people, comforted, raised the dead, etc). As Phil Wilthew says in this brilliant talk, 'compassion has teeth'. It leads to action.

This last week I have been asking God for compassion and was amazed at an opportunity I had on Saturday morning.

As I was walking into town and a woman came up to me on the street asking for money. I gave her what little I had and we began to talk. I asked her where she lived and she began opening up to me and telling me about her boyfriend who was often drunk, her struggle with pleuracy, how she was orphaned and how her family had wanted nothing to do with her.

Then she pulled a photo out of her pocket and it was an image of a grave stone. She said 'some one sent me this 4 months ago, it's my fathers grave'. She read out his name and the poem which was written on his grave stone. As she stood there reading me this poem, which was obviously some comfort to her, I just felt this deep ache inside and the love of the Father for her.

When she finished I said 'I'd really love to pray for you. I believe Jesus is alive and loves you'. She had obviously had experience of church because she said 'ok.. please no hands on my head though'. So I prayed for her pleuracy and that Jesus would reveal to her how much he loves her. She gave me a big hug and thanked me and then asked what time our church meets. I told her and am praying she comes.

When Donna initially stopped me and asked for money, my natural reaction was one of slight annoyance, judgement and mistrust. But Jesus stops for the outcasts; for the people that we wouldn't give the time of day to. He loves people we write off. His compassion and kindness is truly breathtaking.

'God is not in the business of gratifying our desires for excitement nor helping some of his children win arguments over others. He is in the compassion business. To the degree that you can enter into his compassion for the sick and for the hurting, you can be a vessel through whom the healing power of Jesus can flow'. (Jack Deere)

God is looking for vessels. This is my prayer at the moment. I know making myself available to be used will mean interuptions in my schedule. It will mean laying down my pride but it will also mean glory for Jesus as he reaches into the broken lives in the city of Brighton. What a privilege.