The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a definition of “compassion” that I find helpful and challenging: it is a “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” Seeing the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it. The Bible speaks of God the Father and God the Son as being compassionate. This particular attribute of God isn’t one that I ponder very often, but it is crucial to His character and is a trait that we as image-bearers should pray for and cultivate in ourselves.

In my personal life and in ministry contexts, I frequently see my lack of compassion. My devotion to my to-do list and my tendency toward self-righteousness often inhibit a compassionate response to a given situation. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe a child needs some TLC after a hard day, but you brush him or her aside because you’re almost finished with dinner or with filling out government forms that really need to be submitted. Or maybe someone in your ministry circle is having relationship troubles again, and you just can’t understand why she can’t figure things out on her own. It could even be plain-and-simple tiredness that prevents us from responding compassionately when a fellow church member needs help with a hard situation. 

If I’m honest, I sometimes place my to-do list over and above the needs of those around me. I also must admit that, in my pride, my heart sometimes hardens at the struggles of others and whispers lies about “if they could just be more like me, they would not be struggling with such-and-such issue.” Thankfully, we never see these attitudes in the heart of Christ. 

Jesus came to earth with an extremely important mission, one that was much more important than anything I have on my to-do list. And He was God-in-the-flesh, having the true perfection that my heart deceitfully claims to have at times. But His mission and His identity never kept Him from showing compassion: in fact, they propelled Him toward people as He entered into the messiness of those He encountered. He didn’t cast sinners off in disgust; He welcomed them in and still welcomes them now. May we praise Him, emulate Him, and rely on Him!