See Also

Archive

    Stephen Covey tells of an unusual experience on the New York subway.

    While people were sitting quietly in the car, a man entered with his noisy and rambunctious children. The man sat down and closed his eyes as though he were oblivious to his rowdy children. The once quiet subway car was now a disturbing place of chaos.

“...they don’t know how to handle it either.”

    The children’s inappropriate behavior was obvious to everyone except their father. Finally, Covey confronted the man about his children. The man opened his eyes and evaluated the situation as if he was unaware of all that had transpired. “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”

    Compassion is a necessary part of ministry. Matthew tells us that Jesus’ ministry was one of compassion. Jesus touched the leper, healed the blind and lame, and spent time with social outcasts. In Matthew 9, we read, “Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News about the kingdom, and healing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (vs.35-36).

    Let us live each day following Christ’s example of being compassionate and a source of strength to those around us who are hurting.