Cynthia Osborne 06/11/2020

Luke 8:17 (NLT) For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.

Whew – in the last few weeks, the winds of change have certainly blown through our world. We did not expect to see the COVID19 virus come and strip back the covers to magnify the disparity that exists in employment, finances, healthcare, and other areas. Nor did we expect to see scenes of death, false accusations, and protests come riding across the airwaves of our televisions and personal devices.  

In the past few days and weeks, I have encountered many responses and held conversations with others about the recent acts of injustice portrayed in our world. During all of this, I have come to realize that with many, there still appears to be some confusion around what we need at this moment: compassion, pity, sympathy, or empathy.

Compassion is important to humanity, and the Bible presents several illustrations of how it should interweave itself throughout the fabric of our lives. I am unable to recall a time where I read about Jesus displaying only empathy or pity for anyone. There was an expression of sympathy at the death of Lazarus, but compassion soon follows.

The very essence of the gospel message of salvation has its basis in compassion; it was the nucleus of Jesus’ ministry. His very words, heart, and actions show us that compassion is core to improve the human experience as it motivates and moves us to change. The present time of social unrest serves as a reminder that we are obligated to help each other.

Receiving help from others is necessary; we are all essential to play our role and build the bridge to bring about healing to our communities. Compassion implies action and HELP, now is not the time to stand still or silently sit when we see signs and symptoms of our world quivering and quaking. Come on, get your compassion on, and be a part of the solution.

Furthermore, lest we become tempted to “quickly” fall back into our regimens of normality, remember the norm for many individuals contain routine and normalized suffering. Please, take a moment to rest upon those words and imagine yourself walking in those shoes daily. The desire pulsing in our hearts is to live with a sense of fairness coming our way.   

 Heaven forbid that we should find ourselves embracing the Spirit of Cain and only seek to serve self. If that be the case, here are a couple of truths to remind us of our human connectedness:

• No man is an island; we all need each other.
• Absolutely, no one, comes into or successfully goes through this world alone.
• By being part of the same world, any existing illness left untreated, eventually spreads to infect other parts of the world.

Whenever Jesus saw needs, he stopped to help, and he never turned anyone away. He spoke with all who came to him and often even held hard conversations, like with the woman at the well. He dared to go past the surface conversation that she offers; instead, he digs deeper and moves to heal and address her spiritual ills. As followers of Christ, when the opportunity presents itself, we, too, are called to host those bold, courageous, and compassionate conversations respectfully.

In summary, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 instruct us to share the comfort that we receive from God with others. Meanwhile, let’s not get it twisted about what type of conversation we are having pity-pathetic, sympathetic, empathetic, or compassionate. Here is a brief guide for each:

• Pity – occurs when we acknowledge the undue suffering of another individual.
  • Example: Oh, my goodness, I cannot believe what I am hearing or seeing; it is so sad.
• Sympathy – occurs when we express care about someone’s suffering and feel genuine sadness whenever we think about it. We hope that the person feels better soon.
  • Example: I am sorry that the protests are happening, and I wish I could help, but there is nothing that I can do. I hope that life returns to normal soon.
• Empathy – occurs when we feel someone’s suffering because we have walked through the same set of circumstances.
  • Example: I had the same experience, so I know just how you feel.
• Compassion – occurs when we do not wish to see someone suffer, and we offer relief to counteract their suffering.
  • Example: With all that is going on, I want to help, let us discuss it further so that I can share my views and come to a better understanding of your perspective and see how we can work to change things.

Ways to offer compassionate support:

• Listen – be a good listener and allow others to share their opinions.
• Pray – ask God to search our hearts to show us any biases that may exist, pray for peace and racial reconciliation, and repent when God surfaces something in our hearts that should not reside there.
•  Thought partner – seek ways to have conversations that bridge gaps and bring about change.
• Utilize Media – write, create videos, art, poetry, music, and so on to share your viewpoints creatively and positively.

Again, compassion is about simply taking steps to help bring about a change. Let us not give up on each other; to quote Jessie Jackson “keep hope alive” because God loves us and sees value in unity and diversity.

Ephesians 4:3 (NLT) Make effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

~Much Love~