by Valerie J Routhieaux

Created on: March 18, 2009

One of the greatest examples of compassion is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How often in the Bible does it say Jesus looked on the crowds with compassion, or He was moved by compassion?

In this day and age when life seems too fast, and everyone is looking out for number one, it is hard to find an ounce of compassion in anyone. Just take a few minutes and look around you. Are you in a restaurant? How does the staff treat customers? Are you driving? Does someone cut you off? What is your reaction? Are you impatient with traffic and pedestrians? Are you in school? How do you treat your peers and teachers? Do you have a job? How do you treat your co-workers and customers?

Whether we like it or not, people judge our actions in what we do and say. It is important that we behave in a responsible manner in every situation. People will know if we are sensitive to their situation by how much time we give them. If we continue to do our own thing while they are trying to explain their situation to us, they will turn to someone else with a better listening ear.

People want to know we care. That is the heart of compassion. Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated compassion everywhere He went, and His final act of compassion was His death on the cross so we could know Him as Savior and Lord and act in the same way He did.

How does one develop compassion? Compassion is a learned behavior. When a child is born, he observes the world around him or her. He copies everything he sees or hears. When we see our child behaving in ways that are morally incorrect, we correct him or her, but have you stopped to think that the reason our child is acting the way he or she is, is because he or she has seen us act in the same way?

So whose responsibility is it to change? Ours. If we want our children to act in a moral and responsible manner, with compassion for our fellow man we have to set the example. The best way to do so is to follow the example given us by our Lord Jesus Christ. He went out of His way to show us He loved us. He had compassion on everyone. They came to Him for healing, food, counsel, and in every instance, He took care of their need.

When our children come to us with a problem, we need to stop what we are doing, no matter how important it is, and give them our undivided attention. When we see a problem in our workplace with a co-worker, we need to show them we care about their situation by lending a listening ear, or if we can, offer advice on how to take care of the problem. Oftentimes in a work environment, the person with the problem is only looking for a listening ear, and that is something we can provide.

When our children and the people we work with see how we stop what we are doing, to meet their needs, they will have more respect for us, and they will be more apt to listen when we have a need or concern.

There was a saying a decade or two ago that said, Stop and smell the flowers. That is what we need to do. We need to stop what we are doing long enough to notice our fellow man, our children, our friends, and family. When we show compassion, they will learn compassion. Won't life be just a little better for everyone when we do?

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