Upfront April 18, 2011 Issue

Living compassion

Maike Byrd, Staff Editor

“I can’t remember a time when I’ve regretted being compassionate,” Margaret Rogers remarks in the Sentinel’s cover story this week (p. 15). And she continues, “but I certainly have regretted times when I haven’t been.” Probably all of us can identify with this sentiment. 

On a global level, with the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it’s been gratifying to witness the huge outpouring of love and compassion in the form of many prayers for the people affected, as well as quick, tangible help on the ground. According to Japan’s foreign ministry, 113 countries and 24 international organizations have, as of this writing, offered their condolences and caring assistance.

We can see how compassion is our natural response because it’s inherently a part of our nature as God’s offspring. God, who is Love, simply made us that way. We can’t help but be compassionate because God is, and we reflect His infinite love. In the Bible, the Psalmist uses the phrase “full of compassion” five times to describe God’s mercy and grace. Many times Jesus was “moved with compassion” when people came to him with physical needs of all kinds. And he healed them all, showing that compassion is a prerequisite to spiritual healing. “Bible-inspired compassion” is also the basis for Christian Science nursing and healing (p. 16).

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Items of Interest

Prayers in Japan focus on rebuilding