“There’s more abundance in daily giving your presence to one than daily diligence for the furtherance of hundreds.”- Ann Voskamp
Concluding Chapter 17 of The Broken Way, Ann Voskamp lists other traits of compassion. Compassion is:
- not a trite feeling of the heart as much as a willing breaking open of the heart
- always dying to bits of you- the only way to experience a resurrection
- crawling in under someone else’s skin and connecting to their heart like its yours
- profoundly purifying and sanctifying, God-glorifying and soul-unifying — and ultimately, life-satisfying
Furthermore, Ms. Voskamp emphasizes, the lost art of lament signals the beginning of the broken way. Therefore, to feel authentically loved by God, we must authentically lament to God. Lament spells out God’s abandonment, accepts His ache, and finally abandons to His will.
In the midst of suffering, one needs to feel arms close more than trying to pinpoint clarifying arguments. Ms. Voskamp explains the role of God’s people:
“God’s people . . . create communities around suffering, co-suffering communities to absorb suffering and see it transform into cruciform grace. This will cost us [and] remake us into the image of Christ.”
As a result, because the broken way made our cosmos, the greatest power of the universe = the suffering of a brokenhearted love. In conclusion, Ann emphasizes:
“Suffering is not a problem that needs a solution as much as it’s an experience that needs compassion (emphasis Ann’s).”
Today’s question: What moments have occurred for daily giving your presence to one? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Incarnate the gospel”
