The Art of Compassion.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.  Romans 12:15

Do you ever find yourself hard-pressed to feel compassion for some people?  I am ashamed to say that I do.  I can be reduced to tears over seeing a lonely kid on a playground or a homeless person passed by, but there are just some things I have trouble summoning up compassion for.   I don’t understand why they are making such a big deal of whatever the trouble is.  I don’t understand why they don’t see that there are others out there who have it worse.  I don’t understand, period. 

But does that matter?  We aren’t called to understand WHY someone is hurting. We are called to weep with those who weep.  The verse doesn’t say “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those you can empathize with.”  It doesn’t matter if we think they are being overly dramatic or if we think they are dragging it on too long.  It just doesn’t.   Yes, it’s great if we can empathize with what someone is going through but that shouldn’t determine our ability to show compassion.  It’s our duty to care. 

So there you have it: my reminder to myself to love more and judge less.  Let's get out there and rock the world.