Colossians 3:12-17
“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Paul’s advice to the people of the church of Colossae for how to live as followers of Christ is a succinct summary of many of Jesus’ characteristics and teachings: forgive each other as we’ve been forgiven, prioritize love above all else, practice gratitude and operate out of a sense of peace that comes from knowing we belong, sharpen one another in our faith, and do everything for God’s glory and goodness. Paul begins this advice with a list of qualities that echo the fruits of the spirit, and the very first quality that he mentions is compassion.
The definition of compassion is “sympathetic consciousness of other’s distress together with a desire to alleviate it” (Merriam-Webster). In other words, recognizing someone’s pain or hardship and wanting to help them. There is acknowledgement and action. You cannot have one without the other. Since this is a quality we are called to embody as a follower of Christ, it naturally means it is also an inherent character trait of Jesus. There are numerous Bible passages that mention Jesus having compassion on others.
When I consider that Jesus is constantly aware of my pain, there are a mixture of emotions. Personally, I have been wrestling with health anxiety for years. I’m grateful that the ways I’m hurting don’t go unnoticed by the God of the universe, but I’m also frustrated that my pain doesn’t go away. However, for God to have compassion on me, it also means He has an irrefutable desire to help me in my pain. When we inevitably experience and witness suffering, what would it look like to believe that Jesus is there in it, desiring to help us through it, even if it doesn’t end? Are we willing to let Him? What if, rather than our distress disappearing, Jesus’ compassion is allowing the community that God has given us to bear the hardship with us? What if His help comes through practicing gratitude and seeking Him even as we cry out, as that transforms our hearts through the struggle? What if His compassion comes through living out His wisdom that allows us to see ways through the pain even as we endure it? What if God’s desire to help us also requires us to be an active participant?
Out of the overflow of God’s compassion for me, I am called to be compassionate to others and to allow others to have compassion for me. We can be the hands and feet of God to others by acknowledging pain and taking action to help. After all, isn’t God’s most evident display of compassion recognizing the distress of His creation and sending His son as an infant to one day alleviate that distress through the cross and his eventual return? This Advent, I am reflecting on how I am challenged to both give and receive help in the midst of hardship, to see not only the pain of others, but to also see Jesus’ love for me through the haze of my pain.
In what ways might God be trying to help me in the midst of my pain, and how am I taking action to help others?