Compassion or Bitterness

By Eli Lee

September 1, 2019

Why do we care when someone else is hurting, either physically or emotionally? Because there is this thing called Compassion, which simply means Passion for someone else. So what is passion? Passion is “a powerful emotion, usually as in love or hate.”

We care because we “feel” the pain of another. We are able to feel their pain/have compassion for them, because in the past we have also experienced  pain. The closer their experience is to our past experience, the more compassion we will have for them. This is the reason God many times calls people to minister to other people who struggle with the same things He delivered them from, because they can feel what is being felt by the other person, which causes them to care.

All of us want someone to care when we are hurting. And we all want to be that caring person, because everyone likes compassion. Remember what produces compassion? Our past hurts. So next time someone hurts you by what they say or do, instead of getting angry at them, praise God for the experience and ask Him to forgive them. Remember what it says in Romans 8:28? We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

You see, when we love God and turn to Him with our hurts, giving them to Him and asking Him to heal us, and then forgiving the abuser like He told us to, we get to grow into a more compassionate person. God gets to take what Satan intended to harm us with and make something beautiful come out of it.

But when we don't, we continue to carry that hurt in our heart, which, like a physical hurt that isn't taken care of, starts to get infected after a while. If we keep pushing it out of our mind instead of giving it to Jesus and letting Him heal it, it might grow a skin over it and even appear like it’s healed; but underneath, an abscess starts to form, and the longer it is left there, the more vile the infection will become, until finally it turns into bitterness, and eventually to hatred.

If we take this route, we will soon become the abusers, because every time someone says or does something that reminds us of our hurt, the same thing happens as when someone pokes that infected and festering wound. We lash out at them in anger because of the pain. “Hurt people hurt people.”

So the next time someone hurts you, remember why they hurt you: because someone hurt them in the past, and they chose to carry that hurt instead of giving it to God and allowing Him to work it out into compassion. Also remember that depending on which way you deal with your hurt will determine whether you will become more compassionate or will become enslaved by bitterness.

If God has shown you compassion and delivered you from a painful situation, show some compassion to others who are still struggling. Take the time to sit and listen to them. After listening, if circumstances allow, don't be ashamed to share your story and how God helped you through it. There are hordes of people who just need to know that someone cares. So be compassionate and share some hope today! Always remember: People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Choose compassion!

 

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