More Than Bread Devotional for 5/1/08

Ephesians 4:31-32
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Compassion is an important part of love. In fact, some people think the term synonymous with love. When true compassion is demonstrated, it is felt as love. Compassion is the sharing of another's suffering and hurt. I was reading a story about Steven Covey in a book. One Sunday morning, he was riding the subway in New York. It was a quiet and peaceful morning on the train, until one stop where a man boarded with three young children. The children immediately transformed the peace and quiet into chaos and noise, yet the father seemed to not notice and made no move to correct the kids. The other passengers were getting pretty annoyed and Covey was as well. Finally, he leaned over and asked the man if he was going to do something with his kids to restore order in the car. The man replied, "I know I should do something. We just came from the hospital. Their mother died an hour ago. I just don't know what to do." When we have compassion on someone and understand where they are hurting, forgiveness and grace follow naturally behind. This isn't always easy, but it is always Christlike.