I would love to say compassion is something that is close to the surface of my heart…easily accessible…and something that compels me always.
But it doesn’t.
In fact, here lately, I’ve had to even pray for it, and ask God where it even was.
So, a couple days ago, we went into a community where our pastor had planted a church. We were asked to go visit a man that we had met a couple weeks ago in the church service.
We’ll call him John.
Upon entering his home, he began to tell us about himself. He was in a wheel chair…they weren’t really sure what happened. It just came all of a sudden, and he used to not even be able to talk…now he could communicate and was actually walking better than he had been.
Then he shared about his wife. He said she is always gone. She doesn’t even do his laundry anymore. She sleeps in the same bed as him, but doesn’t share covers with him. They each have their own blanket. He said, “this is my wife…it shouldn’t be like this.”
Then the wife walks up.
We’ll call her Susan.
She says hello and walks inside.
Our translator said that we should probably stop talking about that, but that we could bring her out while we prayed for him.
She came out. My heart was cold towards her. I couldn’t believe she could treat her husband like that. Honestly, I just wanted to glare at her.
Then there was a pause in my train of thought. The thought that now came was ‘How can I be so cold? I can’t just glare at the people that aren’t doing what I think they should be doing.”
So we began to pray…
I wanted to pray for him…but all I saw was her.
And I saw her hurt. And I saw her alone. And I saw how abandoned she felt. And I saw her despair. And then I felt it.
Compassion.
In a matter of minutes, my heart went from one extreme to the other…I didn’t know that was possible.
My mind was made up about that woman.
But the Lord trumped my judgment.
Love really does cover a multitude of sins.
His love covered hers…and His love covered and overpowered mine in that moment.
The prayer ended. Tears present. I was able to linger with our translator long enough to speak to her.
And then I got to hug her…and she just fell into the hug…to the point that I felt like I was nearly holding her up.
God is so, so close to her. He really is near to the broken-hearted.
Of this I am sure.
“Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (forgives and disregards the offenses of others).” 1 Peter 4:8
“He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted…” Isaiah 61:1
