Our communities need more compassion.
Children are killing children, politicians are at war like gang members, many families are dealing with internal issues but the general consensus is that we should all move on like it's another day. It is that same reasoning that has eroded the empathy that we all critically need for others. To a degree, life has made all of us somewhat immune to compassion. We are all programmed to "move on" in some way or another.
But there are some things that we shouldn't move past.
Dr. Bryan Stevenson puts it this way:
“You ultimately judge the civility of a society not by how it treats the rich, the powerful, the protected and the highly esteemed, but by how it treats the poor, the disfavored and the disadvantaged....”
We all must find a way to remember those who are in need because even on our worst day - we're still doing better than a lot of people. This kind of mindset requires something that all of us need more of - it requires compassion.
During this holiday season, please remember the needs of others. One passage of scripture tells us to,
"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
- Hebrews 13:3
I believe that this sits right in the vein of Jesus' teachings that tell us to not only "
Love your neighbor as yourself" but we're also exhorted to
".
..
love
your
enemies
and
pray
for
t
hose who
persecute
you,
" - Matthew 5:44. That's a hard pill to swallow. But, with God's help, we are all able to have compassion on even the most unlikeliest people.
