The Heart of a HeroExemplo

Compassion

Compassion means “to suffer together.” When you and I walk the way of a hero, our openness to suffer together becomes our opportunity to be victorious together. In Philippians, Paul introduces us to that winning path—it isn’t one focused on getting ahead. And the prize? It is the unexpected, still-radical gift of sharing in the suffering of Christ.

Our calling to be a hero is illuminated and expanded when we extend compassion to others and we share in God’s suffering. Now, most of us don’t experience the kind of torture Christ faced in His walk to the cross. So, what does compassion look like in our daily living? We read in Matthew that Christ’s followers wondered the same thing. And his response is, “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.”

Finishing well, as a hero, is not about finishing first. It’s about reaching the cross with those God has called us to care for, shepherd, mentor, and love.

Most of us start out our days with intentions to be good and to do no harm, yet it can be difficult to move past intention to action. There is a difference between polite niceties and the heart-sharing compassion Paul introduces in Scripture. The supposed “surface kindnesses” we endeavor for much of our days don’t go to the level of true compassion.

If we want to make a difference, we need to go beyond surface kindness to real compassion. This depth of kindness frequently comes from having personally experienced trials or loss ourselves. It is transformed into active compassion that motivates us to relieve the suffering of others when it is encountered. Empathy is our ability to identify with another person’s hurts and needs, but compassion goes a step further and calls us to do what it takes to soothe the hurts and meet the needs.

Experiencing wounds and failures can make a person either hard and bitter or tender and kind. Those who seek spiritual wisdom and hope in their times of hardship often become more compassionate as a result of their journey.

Many people have a capacity for kindness, but unless it goes deeper toward real change, it’s not going to have an impact. If we refer to God’s capacity for unconditional love and mercy, our wells of grace will not run dry and we will not run out of compassion.