One of the more interesting aspects of Jesus’s ministry is how his interactions with the downtrodden are described. In almost every instance the best way to describe how Jesus looks at people in difficult circumstances is compassion.
When I think about Jesus’s love for those who are hurting, I realize that I still struggle to see past what I see to the person God loves. And while I have seen a change in this area, I know that it is an area of life where I am still growing.
So, how do we work on this? How do we get to the place where we see others with the kind of compassion Jesus shows? For me, it begins with admitting and acknowledging that I am one of those recipients. I am one of those poor souls that needed Jesus’s compassion.
It is so easy to forget that our sin needed to be forgiven. That our wounds need to be healed. That our prejudices need to be corrected and replaced. We all must never forget the “I” that needed Jesus.
I needed him. And, I continue to need him every day. The challenge of seeking to reflect Jesus’s compassion is to realize it will cost us. It will cost our pride, our fears, our insecurities, everything we think we need, God will ask for.
Lent is can be a fruitful time, but it should also be a challenge. We should not finish the season of Lent and realized that we have not been forced to confront some area of our lives in Jesus. I want to be more compassionate. I want to see and look at people with the love and tenderness Jesus had. And, in order to do that, I have to remember that I am also a beneficiary of that compassion from Jesus.
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