“On the surface there doesn’t seem to be much danger in not having compassion for others. But make no mistake, a lack of compassionate connection with our fellow humans is part of a much bigger move of the enemy. . . . Understand that no time showing up and bringing compassion to another human is ever a waste of time.”- Lysa TerKeurst
“Praise be to the Lord and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
Lysa TerKeurst continues Chapter 5 of It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way as she reminds us that Satan loves to distract us with the negative narrative of ‘not good enough.’ And when Satan succeeds, Ms. TerKeurst cautions, we miss the bigger narrative. We miss God’s grand, overarching story of redemption. God intends that we play a crucial role in this story.
Therefore, we triumph most when we place our disappointments in God’s hands. We trust He’ll redeem the situation, then return it to us as part of our testimony. Because, Lysa stresses, our disappointments don’t represent isolated pieces of evidence that we fall short. That life is hard. Rather, they’re the exact place to share compassion with fellow sufferers. Ms. TerKeurst refers to this as breaking secrecy. The author explains:
“Just breaking bread with another hungry human feeds our bodies for nourishment, breaking secrecy with another hurting human feeds our souls with compassion. . . . When we show up with compassion for others, our own disappointments won’t ring as hollow or sting with sorrow nearly as much.”
Today’s question: At this time, what Bible verses help you overcome a lack of compassionate connection with others? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Clothed with garments of understanding”
