Showing compassion aka mercy to other people is a hard thing for most of us to do, myself included. When someone has hurt us or done something to harm us, our gut instinct is to get back at them as much as they hurt us. It all boils down to the one word that we wish was not in our vocabulary – forgiveness. We want forgiveness, desire forgiveness, but when it comes to dishing it out to others we keep it to ourselves. We are unwilling to forgive those who have hurt us. It is our way of controlling a small part of their lives. If don’t forgive, then we have that proverbial carrot to always dangle over their heads.
Compassion/Mercy can be defined as: “good will toward the
afflicted, joined with a desire to relieve them.”
This idea is captured in Matthew 14:14: “When
Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their
sick.” The word “compassion” means that Jesus was so moved that His stomach
churned, or literally, “his bowels yearned” for the crowd. Notice that this
churning led Him to do something about it. He saw the need and then He went
into action. Mercy in theory is absolutely meaningless. Mercy must move us. In
addition, the emphasis in this beatitude is on those who are inclined to show
mercy as a lifestyle, not those who are merciful on an occasional basis. There is no doubt that God is merciful toward
each one of us, as He not only withholds what we deserve, but He also turns
toward us and meets our deepest needs. While we can’t always count on a man or
woman’s mercy, we can rely on the compassion of God.
People who
are forgiving understand what Jesus Christ did on the cross. When you’re forgiving, when you realize what
an incredible act of forgiveness God has given to you you’re more forgiving of
other people.
I forgive? Because God has forgiven
me. Colossians 3:13, “Remember the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others.” When I remember how much God forgives me it
makes it easier. Let me give you a
truth: You will never have to forgive somebody else as much as God has already
forgiven you.