August 2, 2019 | Daily Devotionals | Kenny Luck
Compassion is the simple difference between denying reality and embracing it. “He saw” is the headline of compassion in the life of Christ — eyes wide open. Wherever He went, He was willing to do what He could in the moment. Jesus would see people without food, empathize with their plight, and make provision to feed them. He would see grieving people, experience an internal reaction, and weep with them. He would see directionless people, react with compassion, and start teaching them. By the life of Jesus we see that compassion means being responsible with the fragile realities around us. “Not my problem” was not in the vocabulary of Jesus, because the people around him were a part of His reality.
Compassion comes from seeing reality and not running from, denying, or hiding from it. Not self-absorbed, Jesus was free to see reality and act. Some He could fix in the moment. Others would take a while. And still others would have to wait for His return. But that did not stop Him from acting.
If you are afraid of truth and reality, you will have a distant expression of compassion. We must ask ourselves, do I embrace reality and work with it, or do I rationalize running from it? You will see a direct connection in your ability to act compassionately.
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