31 Days of Restoration: COMPASSION

It irritates me ever so slightly when people come up to me and ask, “What happened to him?  Is there something I can do to help?” They are referring to Malachi.  They see all of the tubes, his ventilator and his wheelchair- it’s a lot to take in, I suppose…. I want to shield his heart – and mine too.  I want to protect him from what I perceive as misunderstanding, pity or judgment. And I sometimes feel like I have to make everything okay for the curious stranger. So, I stand on guard by his side with a fixed smile upon my face and a frown upon my brow WILLING them to see that Malachi is a beautiful blessing and not a burden; WILLING them to stand in Malachi’s shoes; WILLING them to walk away in awe, instead of sorrow…..

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us all in our tribulations that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

The word of God calls for the believers to be a compassionate people.  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  Galatians 6:2   That means more than simply feeling empathetic to someone’s suffering or hardship, but more importantly, being motivated to help them.   The compulsion to help comes from the heart, not the mind.  If we believe that God is at the center of the heart, then we are open to accept another person’s intent as heart-felt, genuine, care and concern.  Perception is not fact; it’s based on thought or intuition.  What we often perceive as pity or judgment is our own fear of what others may think; we project that fear unto others. Compassion, on the other hand, is a gift sewn into the heart of man by God, modeled by Jesus Christ and summoned by the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER OF RESTORATION:  Search me, O Lord and if you find anything not resembling you,  cast it out of my spirit.   Mend my heart, O Lord, that I may receive others’ good intentions as love and kindness.  Renew a right spirit in me that your light may shine in the forefront of my heart forever more.  Amen!

Lord, Have MERCY....

It's Five Minute Friday!  Lord, Have MERCY.

A homeless man aimlessly wanders the streets in tattered rags.  His rust-colored mane twisted in a knotted,matted mess.  His bare feet rub the rugged, scorching hot pavement.  He stops in the middle of traffic and does an about-face.  And for a second, we lock eyes through the windshield of my car - his eyes, wide, bewildered, vacant....

Lord, have mercy......

7:30am.  A teenage girl stands on a street corner with her headphones on while eating a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos.  Dressed in low-top gym shoes and khaki pants, her red polo shirt exposes her growing belly. A crowd of kids about her age, all strapped down with backpacks, stand about two feet away from her; they talk and laugh amongst themselves and occasionally throw a side-glance her way. She gingerly steps off the curb to search the street for the bus that will carry her to school...

Lord, have mercy...

A beautiful baby boy sleeps in a hospital bassinet. A wide tube is inserted into his windpipe and smaller,thinner tubes are taped to his arm. Seemingly, he is oblivious to the flashing lights and hum of activity around him.  His parents hold a prayer vigil at his I.C.U. bedside as they fretfully watch the mechanical rise and fall of his tiny chest...

Lord, have mercy.
It is a whispered prayer,
a plea of compassion,
an act of submission,
a desperate surrendering of the spirit,
a heart-to-heart
with Him
who knows and cares and grieves and heals and lifts up and loves.  Thank you, God, for your MERCY.  Amen!

Ball Park Angels

Hi All!  Once again, it's gratitude Friday!  I am sharing with you a page from my Gratitude Journal; this happens to be one of my very favorite writings.  When we take the time to consider all of the wonderful blessings in our lives, we can't help but awaken the spirit of gratitude.  

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."  Peter 3:8

It’s true what they say – a little bit of compassion goes a long way!  My reflective mood today had me thinking about the many times that people showed compassion towards Malachi and our family.  It is not easy taking Malachi out and into the world. Physically, it’s a challenge to carry and coordinate all of the life-sustaining equipment that must travel with him.  Additionally, Malachi doesn't have the muscle strength to sit-up for any length of time; he can only sit for an hour before we need to find somewhere to lay him down to rest.  Given all of that, our family rallies and rises above the challenges to ensure that Malachi’s social needs are met.  One stand-out moment that highlights compassion was our family outing to White Sox Park on July 4, 2008.  My boys are big Sox fans!  That afternoon, the Sox were playing the Oakland A’s.  We had never taken Malachi to the ball park before, so it was a new adventure for our family.  We were challenged with trying to figure out where we would lay him down when he needed to rest.  I called the ball park a few days before to see if they could accommodate our special needs.  Hospitality told us that Malachi would be welcome to retire in a private room reserved for in the event that someone were to get ill.  The room had a single bed and was separate from the ball park itself which meant that once he retired, he would not be able to see any more of the game.  Although I was disappointed that Malachi and I would need to separate from the rest of the family at some point and not finish the game, I accepted the kind offer.  However, once we got to the ball park, things unfolded quite differently.   Once we got to our seating section, the Chicago Fire Department Paramedics came over and asked if we would need a stretcher for Malachi to lie down.  Malachi was able to lie down the entire game AND see it to the very end!  What a God-send!  One little boy came over and gave Malachi a baseball that he caught and another child gave him a Sox baseball cap to keep.  And the icing on the cake- Sox win!!!

When we remove the barriers that block our heart, we give a very valuable gift to someone in need.  That gift is compassion.   Thank you, God, for sending your son, Jesus, to model compassion to the world.