Sometimes this old man sheds real tears while watching the news. I hurt for refugees living with nothing and little hope. I ache for woman treated like possessions. I truly feel for the person who makes an awful mistake in the moment and faces a lifetime of consequences. Last week, I pulled up to a city intersection about 9 pm and there in the cold rain stood a once pretty younger woman who face showed the results of long-term addiction. Her ragged clothes were mute evidence of poverty. She held a sign that said “Homeless. Any amount appreciated.” Not wanting to take the chance of feeding an addiction I drove on, but her face haunted me the rest of the evening.
Then, sometimes I just want to turn it all off when
something real called compassion fatigue sets in! When any person is repeatedly
exposed to suffering people, there is a built-in defense mechanism that kicks
in. Compassion fatigue can cause a person's heart to become hard as a stone! We
see an awful lot of human need and suffering, don't we?
It’s simple to blame the victim. The other night the easy answer would have
been to just dismiss the young woman with a label – addict- and made her an
object rather than seeing a broken human being whose life experience I know absolutely
nothing.
If we develop a hard heart and choose to throw the problem back onto
those in pain or need, thinking things like -
"That's their problem, not mine!"
"What do you expect me to do about it?"
"They made their bed; guess they'll have to sleep in it."
"Fools!"
then, we don’t have to care.
We're all subject to compassion fatigue!
When busy days pile one on top of another; when deadlines line up; when there
are demands to meet the expectations of others - we might find ourselves
saying, "Oh no, not another person with a problem."
If that's where you are emotionally, won't you join me in
prayer asking the Father for a heart that beats with His love, a tender heart?
The Lord promises those who are hardened by sin: "I will give them
singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their
stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart!" (Ezekiel
11:19, NLT)
My prayer this morning is for a tender heart! In several passages of the New
Testament, disciples are urged to be 'tender-hearted' towards others. Ephesians
4:32 says "Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
just as God through Christ has forgiven you." Peter teaches us that "All of you
should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another
with tender hearts and humble minds." (1 Peter 3:8)
In this gentleness towards those in need, we are like our Heavenly Father "because he is full of tenderness and mercy!" (James 5:11)
I thought you might like a little insight on 'tender hearted' or 'pitiful' - the word in the King James Version. It means 'good bowels!' Gross, right? Not really. Those who lived in ancient times believed that emotions were centered in the abdominal cavity, the heart, the liver, and the intestines! They, like us, experienced fear, joy, love and felt those things physically - pounding heart, nausea, etc.! We get ‘butterflies in our stomach’ when we are excited. Extreme fear can make us nauseous. Passionate love can make us tremble and sweat.
So, the ancients concluded that their gut was the center of emotion and they spoke of tender emotions using the word "eusplagchnos," (NT Greek) meaning in a literal translation- ‘good bowels!' And to be sure, they were not talking about poop!
Let the lesson take hold of you and pray for restoration of
'good guts!'
Will you allow God to restore your emotions?
Will you allow yourself to feel the sorrow of those who mourn, to share the joy
the of those who rejoice?
When we are gentle and kind, moved by the suffering of others, we are like our Lord Jesus. Jesus is often described at deeply tenderhearted. We read that He was "moved with compassion" when confronted with human suffering, grief, and physical needs.
He openly wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, reflecting deep empathy for those who were hurting (John 11).
He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and fed massive crowds simply because he cared for them and did not want them to go home hungry.
In the famous story of His interaction with an adulterous woman, He refused to condemn, choosing to stand with her as He offered forgiveness and restoration in a profoundly gentle way that left her accusers speechless. (John 8:1-11).
Yes, by nature, this Lord of the Universe, Creator of all things, is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).
So, let’s be willing to have great guts -- a tender heart!
Once more hear the challenge of the Spirit who says to us – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Amen!
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