Lemons! - Amy Lawrence

Lemons

A Study on Compassion

I am a firm believer that life doesn’t hand out lemons. It fires them, rapidly, from a lemon cannon. Experience should teach us how to catch some and how to dodge some, but we won’t always succeed. We forget sometimes that everyone is getting through this life looking like they took a swim in a lemonade pond. As equal sufferers, we should all be compassionate toward one another as we survive this thing called life.

Compassion is a learned behavior, Mt. 18:21-35. The high priest would first offer sacrifices for himself so that he would be cleansed in order to offer the sacrifices for the people, but also so that “he can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness,” Heb. 5:1-3. Jesus is our High Priest and has suffered in all points as we have, Heb. 4:15. He knows - and He cares. We often forget that sin is “common to man”, 1 Cor. 10:13, and that we all need compassion. But do we all practice compassion? We are certainly commanded to do so, Zech. 7:9.

What is compassion? Google’s handy-dandy AI defines it as “a deep awareness of another’s suffering combined with a strong desire to alleviate it. It is an emotional response that includes recognizing suffering, empathizing, and taking action to help, often referred to as "suffering together". Compassion goes beyond sympathy or empathy by motivating proactive, kind, and supportive actions.” From this definition, it is obvious that selflessness is a prerequisite. One cannot emotionally engage with another when they have no love for anyone but themselves. The ultimate example of compassion is found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, Mk. 6:34, because He didn’t just give up something for us. He gave up EVERYTHING for us - and we are commanded to be like Him, Phil. 2:5-8. We can do it. He showed us how.

One of the many benefits of being members of the church of Christ is that we are all part of the same body. When one part of that body hurts, we all hurt. When one rejoices, we all rejoice, 1 Cor. 12:20-26. Sorrow is halved, joy is doubled. In order to accomplish this, we must have a relationship with one another. It is paramount that we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, recognize that the only way to know when another is suffering or rejoicing is by being emotionally invested in our relationships with fellow Christians. God knows this and has commanded that we fellowship with one another, but it is not just a command. It’s an investment in the only establishment that can promise 100% success rate - because Christ is its Head, and our fellowship is through Him, 1 John 1:3-7. That is a guarantee of benefits for those that are invested in Christ. Compassion is also a megaphone for the church. When we have love and compassion for one another, the world sees, John 13:34-35. Our relationship with fellow Christians should portray the characteristics of Christ - because we want the world looking at Him, Heb. 12:1-2, 1 Pet. 3:8-13. 

Christian compassion is not limited to those within the church. We can have compassion for all men, Mt. 5:7. As a matter of fact, this is what should compel us to share, especially the gospel. Every person is a soul that will spend eternity somewhere. There are so many feet still pointed toward Hell. Jesus came to save the lost, Lk. 19:10, and every one of us were once lost in the darkness. Fortunately, there’s plenty of Light to go around, John 8:12. Let’s share it. The best way to share the gospel is to live the gospel by sharing in physical needs as much as spiritual needs, 2 Cor. 9:12-15.

Tolerance is often confused as compassion. Satan gets his foot in the door by influencing people to allow sinful behavior, and sin is tolerated under the guise of compassion. Know that sin grows. It starts out as an innocent-looking cub, and by the time it is noticed that those claws have become sharp, we are in its grip. It is much more difficult to fight off a monster that is fully grown, James 1:14-15, and Satan knows this, 1 Pet. 5:8. Sin has a way of taking us where we don’t want to go, getting us there faster than we want to travel, and keeping us there longer than we want to stay. When one understands the difference between tolerance and compassion, one sees that boundaries are not uncompassionate. They are necessary to protect our hearts, Prov. 4:23. The Christian armor in Ephesians 6:10-18 shows us that healthy boundaries in the form of shield and helmet protect the vital areas that Satan is trying to pierce. Sometimes distance is the boundary, 1 Cor. 15:33. Not everyone helps or wants to be helped. Be careful that you don’t allow your compassion to enable sin, Mt. 7:6, 2 Thess. 3:10. and that you do recognize counterfeit kindness, Mt. 7:21-23. There is a vast difference between being a compassionate Christian and being a doormat. 

Let’s get into the practical. What are some ways we can be compassionate as individuals? As the church? Jesus said, “…you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish, you may do them good…”, Mk. 14:7. There will always be those in need. We should be as eager as Paul was to help the poor, Gal. 2:10, both in the needs of this life and those of the next. Poverty is not, however, a prerequisite. We can do good to all, Gal. 6:10. We can:

-aid and visit with the elderly

-donate to/participate in food drives

-do small jobs for the sick or otherwise disabled

-spend time getting to know a new member

-teach or aid in teaching a Bible class or study

-babysit kids for parents that need a break

-participate in fellowship efforts in your congregation

-engage in aid efforts in your community

-be kind to whomever you meet
There is always someone in need. Find a need - and fill it. 

Marcus Tullius Cicero once said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the others.” It takes gratitude to be compassionate. A thankful heart remembers what it is like to be in need and receive mercy. We are always in need of God’s mercy, Lk. 6:36, and if we all follow God’s commandments, everyone will be taken care of - just as God said, Mt. 6:33. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,” Mt. 5:7. Our gratitude should begin with the fact that nothing we have is our own…not even our soul, Is. 18:4. Everything belongs to God, Ps. 50:7-12, and it MATTERS what we do with it. God has made us stewards of what is His, 1 Pet. 4:10, 1 Cor. 4:1-2. If we do not use what is God’s for the purpose God has placed upon it and us, imagine what He will say when it’s time for the accounts to be called in, Mt. 25:14-30. Let us be faithful stewards.

Every Christian should want what God wants. That is the only way to be pleasing to Him. We must be holy as He is holy, 1 Pet. 1:13-16, and full of compassion, Ps. 86:15. In a world that expects everyone to be cruel, be the mirror that reflects Christ in the darkness, shining forth gratitude and compassion.