DEVOTION//Compassion
I happened upon this "author unknown" story today.
A college professor met his new class on the first day of school. He stood before the students and gave a nice introduction to the class and about himself.
Upon completion of his monologue, he looked around the room and asked his students, “If any of you think you are stupid, stand up.” As he looked around he saw that none of his students stood up.
He proceeded to ask the same question again, “If anyone thinks he or she is stupid to please stand up.”
The college professor looked around and to his surprise one student in the back of the room stood up. The professor asked, “So, you think you are stupid?”
The first-year student replied, “No, I just didn’t want you to feel alone.”
A definition of compassion
If this student was a Christian, he may have been demonstrating compassion. Peter urges, "All of you, live in harmony with one another. Show sympathy, brotherly love, compassion, and humility" (1 Peter 3:8, Evangelical Heritage Version).
The root meaning of the word translated "compassion" sounds strange to us. The Greek word Peter used literally means "have good visceral organs."
What? God wants us to have good hearts, lungs, and intestines toward others? Yes, he does. But understand what the people Peter wrote to thought of those internal organs. For them, these organs were the place their emotions resided. We use a similar picture when we claim to have a broken heart or when tragic news feels like a punch in the gut.
That Greek word for compassion describes someone who is tender-hearted, sympathetic, or filled with pity over the plight of others. Our English word compassion comes from two Latin words: with and suffer. The compassionate person is willing to suffer along with another person who is in pain.
The price for compassion
Showing compassion requires we pay an emotional price. Taking on someone's anguish or heartache means we assume some of that pain. We suffer with them.
The reason for compassion
Why would we do that?
Colossians 3:12 has the answer: "As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion." Ephesians 4:32 answers that question this way, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
"The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3) has had mercy on us. His Son came not only to suffer along with us, but to suffer for us the punishment our sin demands from us.
We strive to have good visceral organs as one way to thank him.
Be compassionate. Help someone feel less alone.