September 18, 2019
Luke 18:35-43
35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has [l]made you well.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
Many of my church camp friends remember the song about the blind man who stood on the road and cried to Jesus to show him the way (clap, clap). I was reminded of this song recently while doing a bible study at our church. We are using the book “The Fitting Room” by Kelly Minter. I couldn’t get the song out of my head while I read chapter 12 about compassion; so, I looked up the words to the rest of the song. It’s amazing how singing bible songs as a pre-teen and teenager planted seeds in my heart that would grow and bear fruit as an adult. The song goes on to talk about the woman at the well who cried to Jesus to show her the truth and the thief on the cross who wants to be shown life. Jesus responds by saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
In Luke 18: 35-43 we see Jesus on His way to Jericho command the blind man be brought to him while everyone else was telling the blind man to be quiet. Jesus took time out of His busy travel schedule to ask the man, “what do you want Me to do for you?” Did you catch that? Jesus asked him what he wanted. Jesus didn’t simply do what He felt was best or shove money in the beggar’s hand and move on with his travels; no, he stopped what He was doing and took the time to ask and then listen to the blind beggar. That is what true mercy and compassion look like. True compassion is attached to an action. Of course, that is easier said than done.
Compassion is not something one can just wake up one morning and think, “I’m going to start being compassionate today.” It would be exhausting to think compassion is something that comes out of a sense of duty or obligation. If you think every person you encounter on a day-to-day basis who is struggling suddenly becomes your responsibility to help, you would be drained beyond recognition. However, when we clothe ourselves with the character of compassion, we become more empathetic and willing to listen to people. We stop being so frustrated that another person got in our way or stopped us from getting to where we were going like “those who led the way” who told the blind man to be quiet instead of letting Jesus reach out to him.
Sometimes it takes an extreme event in our life to see how compassion and mercy from another person can be beneficial and life-giving. When we are extended compassion, our hearts soften. When we have been the receiver of compassion from God or from another person, we are better equipped to extend that same compassion to others. 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 puts it this way, “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” Sometimes the compassion another person needs is simply the comfort in knowing someone else cares enough to listen. One shouldn’t worry about having the right words or doing just the right thing. If we are obedient to God, He will give us the right words and actions. We just need to take the first step, which is to show up.
I have been on the receiving end of other people’s compassion more times than I can count. The two most prominent times in my life when people extended great compassion toward me were during my husband’s illness and death and during the flood that damaged our house one year ago. These major events have defined who I am today. Without the kindness and compassion I received from others, I can’t imagine how bitter and angry I would be at this point in my life. However, because of the wonderful people I have surrounding me, I didn’t remain broken. Instead, my old self was put away and I allowed God to come in and rebuild me from the ground up (just like we did with my house). I know I’m not perfect, but God has chipped away at pride, impatience, selfishness, and bitterness. As I fill myself up with His goodness, it is easier to show kindness, compassion, humility, and patience toward others because I know that we all have our burdens to bear.
If we use Jesus as a model for how to show others compassion, we can see some practical steps. With the blind beggar, He stopped what He was doing and asked what the man needed. It seems simple enough, but in our busy society, we tend to throw out phrases like, “let me know if you need anything” while our feet are already walking the other way. Let me tell you as the person who needed the compassion of others, it is difficult to know what you need at the moment or have the courage to ask others for help. It sometimes took some really assertive (but very loving) people in my life to make me accept help. They would show up with dinner or a mop in hand and say, “I’m here, tell me what I can do.” Remember, the most important first step is to show up! God will direct the rest.
From my own life here are some examples of practical ways people showed me compassion:
- Watching my kids during Tad’s treatments
- Cooking dinner for my family
- Inviting us over during family gatherings so we felt included
- Lending a supportive, listening ear
- Mopping my floors and cleaning my bathrooms
- Feeding Tad when I was sick and couldn’t do it
- Paying for in-home care for Tad when money was tight
- Sitting with Tad when his breathing got too bad to be left alone
- Staying with me in the hospital and taking my kids home so they didn’t have to watch their dad die
- Praying and crying with me
- Getting me out of the house so I didn’t wallow in pain
- Driving my kids to and from activities
- Taking loads of laundry to wash after our house flooded
- Giving us (and my dogs) a place to stay for the night while we figured out a long-term solution
- Letting me stay in a rental house for nine months
- Loaning me a washer and dryer
- Tearing out drywall, mucking up the mud, and sorting through my belongings when I couldn’t function
- Giving me a quiet place to sit when I had no place to go
- Moving boxes and furniture to help us get back home
Do you see how without all of these people stepping in to help, I would be a bitter mess? There is no way I could have handled any of this alone. I’ve heard so many people tell me, “I just didn’t know what to say to you.” Words aren’t what I needed. There was no magical word that could take away the pain I was feeling.
We don’t always know how to reach out to others. In our selfish pride, we think we can swoop in and make all their troubles go away. As my list proves, there was not a singular person or action that made my troubles disappear, only God can do that. All we can do is lighten the load. Don’t think you are going to burden someone who is already overwhelmed by taking up more of their precious time. Ask them what they need and then show up! They may not know what they need, so just listen.
Tad was lucky to have good friends who never forgot about him in his illness. I know it was hard to talk to him because it took a lot of time for him to “type” out what he wanted to “say” with his eye-gaze machine. But every conversation was valuable and worth the time and effort. When I was home for the summers, I was always surprised by how many people came by to visit him. They knew he couldn’t get up to answer the door; so, our door was always unlocked and people would walk right into our house. I am grateful my kids have witnessed so much compassion in their lives. I already see them reaching out to those around them.
The next time you see someone in your life hurting, remember Jesus and the blind man (clap, clap). Stop, look and listen!
The Sunday Girl 