Dear Family,
There is an ancient legend about a monk who found a precious
stone. It was a valuable jewel. A short time later, the monk met a
traveler, who said he was hungry and asked the monk if he would share some of
his provisions. When the monk opened his bag, the traveler saw the precious
stone and, on an impulse, asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, the
monk gave the traveler the stone. The traveler departed quickly, overjoyed with
his new possession. However, a few days later he came back searching for the
monk. He returned the stone to the monk and he made this request: “Please give
me something more valuable, more precious than the stone. Please give me that
which enabled you to give me this precious stone.” James W. Moore, Some
Things Are to Good Not to Be True, p 101.
Care, concern, and compassion for others is a quality that most of
us could use a little more of. Jesus taught his disciples the importance of
compassion. In Matthew 15:32 we read, “Jesus called his disciples to Him and
said, “I have compassion for these people who have already been with me three
days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they
may collapse on the way.”
Just earlier the disciples had urged Jesus to get rid of a woman
who was begging that He heal her demon possessed daughter. “Send her away for
she keeps crying out after us,” the disciple’s urged Jesus. But Jesus had time
for her, just as he had time for anyone who crossed his path with a need.
Jesus was a man whose heart was always "moved with
compassion" (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 20:32. The Greek word for compassion in
each of these verses means “to suffer with,” which implies he cared so
much for people in need that it physically affected him. That is why when 4,000
people were camped out on His mountain doorstep, He couldn’t just send them
away. They had a need, and He was willing to take the time to meet it.
Often, we avoid becoming involved with people because we know
that we will be inconvenienced by having to address their needs. It is
easier to be like those disciples and say, “Send her/him away,” “I don’t have
the time,” “I don’t have the money,” “I don’t have the ability,” “ I don’t have
the energy,” “I have "been there, done that," and I suspect you
have, too. But Jesus reminds us that we need to be looking for opportunities to
be His hands and feet, and to minister compassionately with the heart of His
love.
An unknown author has observed, “Some of our tears should be like
Christ’s tears-for other people’s troubles. He never wept for Himself. Let us
shed no more tears for ourselves until our sympathy with other people has
touched us and made us weep.”
Let us pray today that we don’t run from opportunities to minister compassion, but like Jesus let us be on the lookout for ways to offer it. When you do, you will make three people glad: yourself, the recipient, and most important of all, your friend Jesus.
Have a great day.
Yours in faith and friendship.
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