Compassion of Love

Have you ever seen someone and thought to yourself, "I need to help them: and you did? A person who needed the door held open for them, or one who needed a hand in carrying something in? A person who you knew needed a meal, and you brought them one, or how about seeing someone on the street you knew was hungry and you got them something to eat? Times of helping like this is so wonderful, and we need to be consistently looking for areas where we can be a blessing to others.

In Mark 8:1-9, we read how Jesus fed some "out of town," travelers who had been with Him for three days sitting at His feet learning from Him. Jesus had been with about 4000 people for three days, and it was time for them to go home. Jesus said to His disciples, "I feel compassion for the multitude because they have remained with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and if I send them away hungry to their home, they will faint on the way, and some of them have come from a distance." The disciples asked. "Where will anyone be able to find enough to satisfy these men with bread here in a desolate place?' Jesus asked them how many loaves they had between them, and they answered they had seven. Jesus told the multitude to sit down. He then took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and started giving it to the disciples to hand out to the crowd, which they did. Knowing they also had a few small fish, He took those and served them to the people as well. All 4000 people were able to eat until they were full. The Bible says afterward; they were able to fill seven large baskets of what was left over. The beginning statement of this story by Jesus reflects His loving heart for those who had to go home, knowing the journey would prove to be disastrous for them if they did not have nutrition- so He fed them. He saw the need and their future at the same time and met their needs out of His compassionate love for them.

This story should make us reflect on the needs of others. Needs that we have met and those we did not. This story is not meant to fill us with guilt if we have missed it or not but should inspire us to do the same. It should inspire us to help others with the same compassion and love as Jesus did that day. It's so easy and tempting to say, " I don't have enough to give away" or " I just don't have the time," and yet in this story were reminded to take what we have in our hands and be willing to give it away or at least share it with others. Once we're ready to let that happen, God is the one who blesses our efforts and is faithful to make sure there is enough to meet the needs. It is a matter of seeing a need and meeting it, knowing that God will also make happen for us whatever we do for others.

In this story, they started with seven loaves and a few small fish, and yet, in the end, they came out with seven large baskets of leftovers., You see, they did not lose anything or come up short- they came up with more than they could have thought of. The saying that you cannot out-give God is so true and should be inspirational to us- causing us to give to others. Not so much out of doing it to be blessed back, but just like Jesus that day- out of love and compassion for others.

So today, start to look for ways in which you can be a blessing. Do not concern yourself with whether what you have is enough or not, or if it will even make a difference, for, with God, all things are possible. All we are to do is see a need and, out of love and compassion, be willing to meet that need and let God handle the rest. So, start today by being a blessing- a blessing of love and compassion.

From Gardens of Splendor by Gina Burns