Last weekend, we went to Sonya’s parents.  They have a small one room house, next to their home, that we stay in when we go and in that little house is a collection of my mother-in-laws “things”.  She is a collector of antiques and things that look like antiques.  There is one item that is quite interesting.  It is pictured to the left here.  It is a little red head girl that holds her head down like she is crying.  She looks amazingly real.

Hannah and I were hanging out in the little house and she goes over to this little girl. She puts her arm around her and says, “What’s the matter dear? Why are you crying?”  She repeated it several times (I guess expecting an answer).  Hannah was having compassion on her.

Hannah is pretty honery at times but she does have an amazing amount of compassion.  Sonya and Hannah were in the store one day and a little boy was crying in the buggy behind them, Hannah looks over and says, “What’s the matter dear?”  Then a lady in the church was crying as she spoke with us and Hannah looks up at her and says, “Why are you crying?”  Hannah has compassion!

In the world we live today there are alot of hurting people.  People are crying out for help.  Are we compassionate?  Do we care about the needs of others?  Are we too busy to stand with those who are hurting and listen to those who need to talk?

In the busyness of our society, I fear we have lost compassion.  Not because our hearts are hard, but that we have become too busy to care for one another’s needs.  Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”  We should lift each other up.  We should stop and say every once and a while, “What’s the matter?  Why are you crying?” 

How is your compassion?

Many people bear grudges or hold hurts and do not release forgiveness to others.  This is a baggage that becomes to heavy to carry.  It is a weight that is shackled to our soul that will eventually drive us to bitterness.  I read an article by Ritchie Miller that speaks about the baggage of bitterness and the sometimes ridiculous lengths we go through to hold a grudge.  Read on:

“There were two families where I grew up who were very close. The husbands and wives were best friends. One time someone said something that was hurtful. A hurt was harbored until it turned to bitterness. They stopped speaking to each other. They stopped being friends. One day one of the families set out a row of hedges to create a barrier between the yards. Not to be outdone, the other family set out a row of trees on their side. This angered the other family so much that they built a wooden fence beside their hedges. The other family then built a bigger fence on their side. Today, if you drive past these two houses you will see the oddest looking row of giant hedges, tall trees, and fences separating two small houses. To my knowledge, they never spoke to each other again. Neither family admitted that they needed to forgive or to receive forgiveness. As a result, a relationship was lost and they became a laughingstock in the community.

There was another family that lived about two miles from where I grew up. This husband and wife just always hurt each other and they could not release it. Rather than getting divorced they decided to continue to make each other miserable. The husband bought a mobile home and put it in the front yard of the little house where they lived. He lived there until he died.

Jesus said that if we refuse to forgive neither would we receive forgiveness. In one of his parables he insinuates that a person with an unforgiving spirit will be turned over to the “tormentors.” Torment is a good word for someone living in hurt and bitterness.

Life is too short to be bitter. Release forgiveness today. It will set you free.”
HT: Ritchie Miller