Compassion and empathy are often used interchangeably. We may feel pain when others hurt or anger when someone is mistreated. We hear stories on the news that move us or we watch a friend suffer, bringing tears to our eyes and sadness to our hearts. While we may say that we empathize with the person or situation, it is not the same as having compassion.
Compassion is an Action
Compassion is empathy in action. It is more than a feeling; it is putting action behind the feeling. You might say that empathy is the noun and compassion is the verb. The word was used multiple times in the Bible about Jesus.
- Matthew 20:34 – Jesus had compassion on two blind men and gave them sight.
- Mark 6:34 – Jesus had compassion on the 5,000 and began to teach them.
- Luke 7:13 – Jesus had compassion on a mother whose son had died, and He raised the child from the dead.
- Matthew 15:32 – Jesus felt compassion on the crowd that had been following Him for three days and fed them from seven loaves of bread and a few fish.
In every instance, when Jesus felt compassion, He did something about it.
We may not be able to give someone back their sight, but we can help him find the right path in life. We may not be able to raise someone’s child from the dead, but we can comfort her and be by her side. We may not be able to stretch one person’s lunch to feed thousands of people, but we can feed one hungry person.
Developing Compassion
If you want to serve in ministry, you need to have compassion. Without that component, your ministry will be empty. How can you develop compassion if you feel that it is lacking?
First, you must have empathy for others. If it doesn’t happen naturally, work on it. Look at others and try to see past their behavior to the “why” of the situation. Understand what makes them the way they are. You may never really know that answer, but you can learn to look for it. It helps you be more understanding of people’s attitudes and behaviors.
Second, look for ways that you can help the person. Simple acts that can improve the situation can make a difference. Ask yourself what it is that they need. Don’t try to force something on them that you feel they need, but look at what will make a difference in their lives. Take Jesus’ examples. He knew that what they really needed was Him, but He approached the situations in a practical manner. He fed those who were hungry, restored sight and life to those who needed it.
You don’t need to be in an organized ministry to bestow compassion on others. Look around you and you will see hurting people everywhere. As you develop compassion for them and take action, ministry will naturally follow. What will you do to show compassion to someone today?
