Compassion's Love

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” Unequivocally, yes, I am… yes, we are. These words were defiantly spoken by Cain in response to God’s simple question, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain knew.  After all, he had just taken his brother’s life in a fit of rage. Abel’s offering to God from the best of his flock had been received favorably, while Cain was told by God that if he did what was right his offering would also be accepted. Instead, jealousy and anger took over Cain’s heart… and the unthinkable murder happened.

All too often in today's society, we argue, determined to prove we're right in both relationships and politics.  Slowly we erode a level of trust and respect. To say we love someone is proven false when we fail to show a genuine compassion for their pain and difficulties, or joy for their happiness and blessings.  With true empathy, we take responsibility for our own actions.  We reach out in humility. We want the best for others. We are happy to see their success, respecting their boundaries. True love is not about what external glory we might gain.  Rather, it’s about how we can show love to others in genuine humility, with no expectation of repayment.  For trust is earned, shown by our words and actions with compassion and respect. That's love.

Jesus told parables to help his followers grasp the deeper meaning.  He told a story about assistance by a Samaritan to an enemy, a Jew, the victim of robbery, who was beaten and left for dead.  A priest and Levite passed by, deeming it beneath them to assist the man. Instead, the Samaritan took the victim to be cared for until he fully recovered, paying all expenses.  Jesus expressed in story form what unconditional love and mercy look like: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  (Luke 10:27)

Like the Good Samarian, if we have a heart of love, we view others favorably. We essentially become our “brother’s and sister’s keeper” by understanding the difficulties they might be facing.  With empathy, we feel for our friends in their struggles. We commiserate with them, feel their pain, their sorrow.  We long to reach out and help in any way we can.  In this, we show compassion.  But we also share hope and joy by rejoicing over their blessings as they receive accolades and honor. 

Loving as we’ve been loved showers blessings upon another. It enables us to comfort someone just as we’ve been comforted in similar difficult and painful situations.  As the Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 1:3-4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 

We gain a new understanding from our own failings, with a readiness to assist someone else in need.  We share a compassion like that which we’ve felt from God in our own difficult life circumstances.  Compassion embodies empathy, a sympathetic heart, for the difficulties someone might be facing.  And with this sense of caring and understanding comes encouragement and hope with joy to rejoice with them.

Jan Dravecky (whose husband, Dave, left baseball following the amputation of his pitching arm due to cancer) wrote simply and eloquently:  “God really does comfort His children – and most often He chooses to do so through the arms and legs and voices and ears and faces and tears of men and women who have been to the front lines and returned with battle scars.  Someone who has ‘been there’ has the credibility and the understanding to know what it is that the person in pain is going through – the questions, the doubts, the fears.  They can speak both compassionately and authoritatively because of their own experience… Have you considered how God might want to use you to comfort someone in pain?”  Perhaps you’re going through difficult a time and think you can’t possibly help anyone. As Jan continued, “…but who better to reach out with understanding, empathy and genuine concern [to those who are facing their own turmoils]?”  (NIV Encouragement Bible, pg. 1546)

Being our “brother’s and sister’s” keeper is so well said in what we commonly call the Golden Rule. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus summed up how we should love, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…” (Matthew 7:12a)  With such love and tender kindness, we’re able to show mercy and compassion to the hurting souls in the world around us, rejoicing to see them blessed.

Compassion’s Love

By Linda A. Roorda

They understand best who have felt despair

Who shoulder the hurt they turn to blessing

Where tender voice calls out to the broken

And carries to rest on peaceful shore.

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For only those who’ve travelled this road

The very same road that you struggle on

Find compassion’s love springs from the heart

With understanding and emerging hope.

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In sharing such hope of vistas bright

Where two or more can better handle

The way is cleared of scattered debris,

The heavy load that once overwhelmed.

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Embracing the weary and burdened heart

Tender mercies tumble down like rain

Washing the wounds and depths of despair

To break their hold and release the pain.

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As compassion’s love envelopes the soul

A gentle peace infuses the spirit

And fills the heart with understanding

To sing its song of heavenly joy.

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