It was literally a long, long, day. Our team led a four hour long conference about compassion to teens and adults of the church. Preparing for the conference wasn’t hard because we’ve been learning about compassion this whole trip, yet sitting through the entire service was tough. Nonetheless it was an eye opening experience.
For our trip our school gave every LoveWorks participant a book called Compassion. Compassion is broken into three sections: the compassionate God, the compassionate life, and the compassionate way. The first section discusses God’s compassion shown through His love by giving us Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God with us who endures earthly struggles to become like human though He is divine. The second section discusses how we can become compassionate in our own lives and how we see that. In our communities and our surroundings we see the ways we can love one another. The last section discusses compassionate ways of acting. Through patience, action, and prayer we can show others compassion. Though I haven’t finished the book yet, it was educating to hear from my team members of the chapters they read.
Later on in the conference Gavin gave a talk about compassion. He said compassion shouldn’t be felt in your heart, because that would mean you’re having a heart attack. Instead compassion is felt in your stomach. It is that feeling you get when you’re stomach tightens up and it feels like it’s being ripped out of you. Compassion makes you feel something you don’t normally feel.
Hearing and learning more about compassion made me evaluate my life. Am I loving others the way Christ loves me? Am I praying for my enemies? Compassion is more than just being nice to people and donating money. It is getting down to someone else’s level, feeling what they are feeling, being with them through the struggle, and loving where it is needed.