Heart of compassion
“as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion” Colossians 3:12
Heart of compassion – Compassion! Oh how we long to be the ones receiving such blessing! And for good reason. Life is difficult, says Scott Peck. Maybe that isn’t quite strong enough. Life is often difficult to the point of emotional and spiritual exhaustion. Those are the moments when we need the gentle touch of someone who has deep concern for us, someone who knows our pain and is ready to lift our burden.
Compassion is one of the special adjectives used to describe Jesus. In fact, one of the two words used in this phrase (splanchnon) is exclusively used in the Gospels to describe Jesus. Once you look at Exodus 34:6, you will know why. God describes Himself as a God of compassion. It is a word that means, “to take action on behalf of another because of an intense emotional response”. Look at Mark 1:42 or Matthew 14:14.
But in this verse we have a curious and very powerful combination. Here splanchna is combined with oiktirmon and it is this second word that is translated “compassion”. If we look at the same word in Romans 12:1 we find that it describes exactly what Exodus 34:6 does – God’s nature is compassion. God is the Father of all compassion.
So here we have two words together, both emphasizing the deep emotional response on behalf of someone else, a response that finds its ultimate origination in the heart of God. You might say that this special phrase is Paul’s way of putting an exclamation point after the idea. But it is not an idea limited to God or Jesus. Paul says that because God has chosen us, we need to reflect who God is in the way we act. And how does God act? He is moved by the plight of His children. He springs to action. He can’t wait to rescue. His feelings for us burst forth in deliberate, direct intervention. God rushes to help.
Is that an accurate picture of you and me? Are we rushing to help? Are we so overcome with sympathy and pity for God’s children that we just can’t help but step forward? Imagine how the world would be transformed if Christians everywhere rushed to lift another’s burdens.
Compassion is one of those gifts that cannot be grasped. It can only be redirected toward someone else. Do you know the blessing of compassion? Then you know what to do – pass it on.
