May 19


Being Compassionate


You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Luke 6:36 (NLT)


I took another spiritual gift assessment last week and it confirmed (again) what I already knew. God has given me the gift of compassion (or mercy as some call it). It’s my primary gift. It means feeling so much for people, especially for those in great need. It makes me a bit sentimental at times I think, and it makes me extremely non-judgmental, which can be good or not. I think mercy tends to give the benefit of the doubt, and it seems always willing to give, even when hard pressed to do so. But in the end, it’s having these incredible feelings and concerns for others. It can be overwhelming at times. It is joy and heart all rolled into one. And it’s mine. It’s me.

I like the way Chuck Swindoll explains it: “Compassion usually calls for a willingness to humbly spend oneself in obscurity on behalf of unknowns.... Truly compassionate people are often hard to understand. They take risks most people would never take. They give away what most people would cling to. They reach out and touch when most would hold back with folded arms. Their caring brings them up close where they feel the other person’s pain and do whatever is necessary to demonstrate true concern.”

I understand exactly what Chuck Swindoll is saying, and I’ve seen this gift in others too. I think of my small group as an example. Chris, Jenn and Katie have this gift as well. What a blessing they are. They and those like them have such big hearts. I only hope I use this gift well—to bless others without the misunderstanding Chuck Swindoll talks about, and to please God ... always to please God.


Father, help these sensitive hearts remain true to You and become a blessing to others as You have purposed. Amen.