And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matt 9:35-36)
Compassion. Compassion is a sympathetic awareness of what others are experiencing and a willingness to do what you can to help.
But compassion can be hard to “have” when we’re…
…tired … frustrated … angry … confused … discouraged … disillusioned … running low on patience … uncertain about the future …
…and isn’t that where a lot of us are in the Fall of 2020? As a result, maybe the compassion gauge on the dashboard of our hearts is running dangerously low and the effects can be felt…
…at home … in our marriages … with our kids … at work … with our brothers and sisters in Christ … in our attitude towards the needy … the exhausted … the hurting … the grieving among us …
…and the temperature of our spirits is running dangerously high with…
…the disagreeable … the rude … those on different sides of judgment calls … those doing their best to make wise decisions for the good of the many … those on the opposite end of the political spectrum … those who have walked away … those who have decided to look at us as the enemy.
When Jesus saw the harassed, helpless, hurting crowds, he had compassion for them. Amazing. But don’t miss what he did next.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matt 9:37-38)
The harassed, helpless, and hurting are EVERYWHERE. Therefore pray. Pray earnestly. Pray for your heart. Pray for compassion, patience, and empathy, because it’s awfully hard to share what you do not have, and the opportunities to share are everywhere. All around us.
If we prayed like that today, and followed in the footsteps of Jesus, who knows what the Lord of the harvest might reap next?