Compassion rather than pity... And, the gift of frailty

I'll confess that I've been feeling a little low for the last week or so (sure, my 'low' is pretty much the same as most other people's 'normal'... But, I have still been feeling a little low).  In Afrikaans there is a wonderfully expressive word to describe my emotional state '...ek voel 'n bietjie broos' [I'm feeling a little 'brittle, delicate, bruised'].

My friend Barry's death has left me somewhat pensive... A day or two after Barry's passing I was searching the scriptures for some encouragement and came across these wonderful words from Lamentations 3:22-24:

 ²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
       for his compassions never fail.
 ²³ They are new every morning;
       great is your faithfulness.
 ²⁴ I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
       therefore I will wait for him."

[This image comes from here]

The words of these verses have been a source of great encouragement and blessing as I've considered the frailty of life.  There is one particular word that stood out for me, it is to be found towards the end of verse 22 - it is the word 'compassion'.



Compassion is a remarkable emotion - in some older translations Biblical scholars used the word 'pity' instead of compassion (you can also find this in Psalm 103).  Compassion is, however, an entirely different emotion from pity (see the little video above for more).

Let me illustrate it in the following manner:  When I was primary school my mom once gave me a few Rand (the South Africa currency) to get a haircut at the end of a summer school holiday.  My brother, however, encouraged me to give the money to him so that we could spend it on sweets - he offered to cut my hair for free!  I thought this was a GREAT idea!  I would get sweets as well as a haircut.  Well, the haircut turned out to be ... shall we say somewhat adventurous!  As a punishment my mom sent me to school with my 'hacked head of hair' - all of my friends took pity on me!  They were all thinking what one of them had the courage to say - 'Hey Dion, I'm sorry you've got such a bad haircut, but boy am I pleased that I'm not you!'

Pity is an emotion that seperates one from suffering, it causes one to draw away from hardship and retreat to safety.

Compassion is quite different - compassion is an emotion that stems from empathy.  Compassion has quite the opposite outcome from pity.  Whereas pity seperates persons, compassion unites them!  A person who has suffered a great loss cannot help feeling a desire to carry the burden of someone else who has suffered a loss.  Because one has experienced pain, you don't want others to experience pain, and so you draw near to them in order to offer them comfort.

I am truly thankful that God is a God of comfort!  God draws near in grace.  This is the God who chooses to come into the world, rather than rule it from a spiritual Kingdom.  This is the God who gets actively involved in the mess of daily life, rather than remaining in a palace on a hill.  This is the God who transforms death into life, by coming to die.

This is a compassionate God who cares - and I am thankful!

I am also feeling a little bruised ('broos') because every now and then I reminded that my life is not perfect.  My little boy Liam has been very ill for the last three days.  His lungs have struggled to bring in enough air.  It is a truly desperate sight for a parent to watch their child struggling to breathe!  Together with this he has developed an infection both of his little ears.  Since he has learnt to speak a few words he cries out in pain, and there is not much that we can do.  So we hold him, and we sing, and we pray...  We don't sleep much at times such as these.  We listen for his breathing.

But, God's mercy is new every morning, and God's compassion is new!  It never fails!

And so, tonight Liam is looking better.  He is resting now, and so are we.

My life may not be perfect, but at moments like these it is pretty good!

I am thankful for the love of a God of compassion, rather than a God of pity - I am sustained, uplifted, and blessed.

Liam's frailty reminds me to love him all the more.  It reminds me that health is gift to be treasured, and that life is meant to be lived to the full.  Megan's care for him reminds me of her gentle and loving nature.

I am thankful...