Compassion

Webster’s Collegiate definition of the word, “Compassion“- sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. Most people consider themselves to be compassionate and in spite of what the nightly news shows us each night, they are. What amazed me was so many synonyms containing the words heart. They were: bigheartedness, goodheartedness, kindheartedness, largeheartedness, softheartedness and warmheartedness. It’s fair to assume, one must use their heart in some way, to have compassion on others.

This definition caused me to reflect…when was the last time I’d shown someone mercy? Which was another synonym, listed for compassion. I recalled listening to Bishop TD Jakes preach once about Mercy. I loved his deliverance. He said, “When someone is innocent, they seek justice but when someone is guilty, they seek Mercy.” That completely blew me away. I started thinking of people that I’d shown compassion to. Next, I thought of others that sought mercy from me. Hmm, this word compassion was not as simple as I’d first thought. It’s easy to have mercy on small slights but what about your No’ No’s? Healing restores you. If I was so compassionate, who had I shown mercy to? Then, it hit me. I smiled and understood why this word, has the word heart listed so many times. Compassion is a heart issue. Whom had I helped to restore?

Next, I began to connect why scriptures always mentioned Jesus having compassion on those he healed. It’s connected to your heart. I remembered mercy. A friend was struggling with an addiction. Shame and guilt was causing him to hide it but Spirit had already revealed it to me. I never brought it up, waiting on his timing to address it. Shame and guilt is usually connected to addictions, making one feel bad, convicting them but a loving heart will free them. That’s why compassion uses the word heart so much. No wonder Jesus said, “Neither, do I convict you.” He was freeing them of any shame and guilt. Since, I loved my friend, I had mercy on him. I began to understand, me having mercy on him, would help free him of his burdens. I showed mercy and my friend was no longer burdened.

Who can you set free? That is having compassion. We don’t excuse anyone’s piss poor behavior. Yet; we can still have mercy on the guilty, out of our own ability to love. Love is the only thing real people. It frees both parties…The offender and the offended. It’s just that powerful. We must open our heart and that will help us, set others, free. It doesn’t mean that you are excusing negative behavior but when someone is struggling with something and they’ve wronged you…it is ok, to have mercy on them. They already know that they’re guilty, lest they wouldn’t feel shame and guilt. We can free those that have wronged us, by using our hearts and having compassion. It’s up to you to decide, using discernment, if one should interact with those that have wronged you again but always be willing to free yourself and others of unnecessary burdens. I wasn’t okay with my friend’s actions, but his fear of my judgement had placed a different burden on him. I began to understand it was bigger than me…so, I opened my heart to my friend, having compassion on him, to help set us, both, free. “Who the Son sets free, is free indeed.”

Keep shining.

~Triddy Kat💋

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TRIDDY KAT®