"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were  harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." - Matt. 9: 36  (NIV)  

“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of  pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion  challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who  are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be  weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with  the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being  human.” - Henri Nouwen  

Do people see compassion when they see us? 

Do people think of compassion  when they heard the words “Christian” or “Christianity?”  

Do we reflect compassion in our words and actions? What about our  opinions? What about our internet presence?  

Do we feel drawn to get involved with the needy and the suffering or  would we really rather let someone else do that?  

Do we enjoy our general comforts and lifestyles more than the thought of  giving and living sacrificially for the benefit of people created in  the image of God?  

Why does compassion matter? Because it matters to Jesus, and it’s who we  are as those called to reflect the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in  Heaven.

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