By: Undre Griggs, Jr
Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV): Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for compassion in the above verse can also be translated as pity, grace, or mercy. To show genuine compassion and deep concern for others through their misfortune, we have to:
Care about others more than ourselves:
Philippians 2:3 (ESV): Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Be there for each other through the good times and the bad:
Romans 12:15 (NIV): Rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn.
Be willing to forgive them if even they brought the misfortune on themselves:
Ephesians 4:32 (ESV): Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you
Be willing to invest the time to help others out of their situation:
Mark 6:34: When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Matthew 14:14: When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
To conclude, we are required to have a humble mind and a tender heart. Christ commands this of us because he understands how difficult it would be to feel sympathy for others if we think so little of them. Christ foresees the challenge we may have giving someone a second chance if we are unable to see ourselves as the chief of sin. We have to always remember that we are commanded to be of one mind in compassion. Compassion can come in the form of sympathy, love, forgiveness, or humility.
1 Peter 3:8 (ESV): Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
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