Compassion: pity or sympathy for others misfortune, sufferings, situations
Today as you go about your day pray for the Lord to clothe you with compassion. May He cause you to be moved as He was moved for the lost, suffering and hurting people around Him. He healed them physically, offered them salvation- Pray that the Lord would bring healing and salvation to those you have compassion for today!
"Therefore, as God's Chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." Col. 3:12
I remember when we first arrived in China it was overwhelming the hurting and suffering that was set before us daily. One such person I'll not ever forget was the local bottle lady who gathered her glass bottles in broken and damaged bags. She would gather them up inside and stitch the bags closed so to keep her precious glass items safe from being damaged. This one day as I was walking back from the market with my basket on my own back, I saw her walking her three wheeled bike down in front of me. The bike is just that a bike with 3 wheels. It is a common bike used in China because it has a large wagon on the back. We had one of these bikes to carry our kids in the back and I could peddle the bike. It was much older than my bike and as a result of her heavy load and the height of the load she was pushing it. I noticed she stopped on the side of the road ahead of me to tighten down the bottles and to add a few more that someone along the way had handed her. What she didn't see was the police officer coming towards her carrying his wooden baton. He was screaming at her and motioning her to move along. She continued to tighten down her load because if she were to stop and move the bike all would be lost. She was trying to hurry and was visibly shaken by his screaming and now pushing her. She stopped and spoke to him. By this time I was standing there just 2 feet away from her. The officer saw me and he became more agitated and angry. What happened next shocked me and caused me to have compassion on this woman.
The officer pushed her down and then kicked her bike over causing all the bottles to fall all over the street. He turned to her and began screaming and telling her to get up and get her junk off the street. She tried to get up but was shaken so bad that she just froze. The crowd began to draw around us and I couldn't just stand there to allow this officer to do this to her. I was almost in tears and I just remember telling him, I'll help her get her stuff off the street. I grabbed her hand and smiled and helped her up. He was not happy that I was doing this but I told him. It was an accident that her bottles came loose...
At that moment- I realized that my compassion for her softened the officer and he just looked at her and said, I'm going away for 5 minutes and if you are still here I'm taking your bike. For those who know the police in china it isn't a small thing to have an officer to just walk away. It was Father's intervention in the situation and I was so thankful that this officer walked away.
I told her not to worry we will get it up and we worked quickly to get her stuff up off the street and she was on her way. She just kept staring at me and saying thank you... thank you. I was changed that day .......
Realizing this :
Intolerance, indifference, cruelty, and hatred are what seem to come out first because so often we begin with us rather than others.
Being selfless, causes compassion to rise up...........
May you be filled with selflessness and may compassion rise up in you today!
Melissa
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