"Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are WORTHY. That is not our business, and in fact, it is nobodies business. What you are asked to do is love."
Thomas Martin
Love, compassion, and kindness. I think we can all agree, in theory, that our world needs more of those three gifts in action. It sounds good to say things like practice love or compassion or kindness. However, I think sometimes we focus on saying these words, but not putting them into action. You see, in order for these ideas to come to life, to be more than just mere words on a page or spoken in the air, they must become a physical action. A verb, so to speak.
I think there are some areas where we (and I am including myself in this we) almost always respond appropriately. Most people respond to big emergencies, such as natural disasters, with an outpouring of love and kindness and compassion for those who are suffering. It's easy to do when we feel like people are suffering unjustly, through no fault of their own. I would say our response in those situations would rate at least a B+ if I were to grade such a thing. It's good that we do this. It is the right way to respond in those situations.
"We are ALL in need of mercy." Dieter Uchtdorf
"Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies behind appearances." Wayne Dyer
"A part of kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve."
"The most memorable people in your life are the ones that love you when you aren't very lovable."
Today, I'm talking about showing love, kindness and compassion to others when we feel that they might not deserve it. And believe me, what I am about to say cuts me to the core of my being because I myself have been guilty of some of these things. You see, it's easy to show compassion to the starving child in another country, yet not so easy to show the same compassion to the hungry homeless person you pass on the street. We reason in our own minds that the child is helpless in their situation (which is true) and the homeless adult has made a choice that led them to where they are ( this might or might not be true). We use this reasoning to apply to many situations. We decide who is worthy to receive compassion based on what choices (good or bad) we believe they have made. We see a person who is overweight, and judge that they have made choices to be that way, and therefore we treat them with less compassion, less kindness, less love. We see a person using food stamps to purchase food we do not approve of, we see a teenage girl wear clothing we do not approve of, we see someone smoking, we see someone with tattoos or piercings, we see an unmarried girl who is pregnant, we see a kid on a sports team who always messes up, we disagree with another's opinion, we see someone living a lifestyle we do not approve of, we see someone living what we deem as too lavish a lifestyle, we see someone not giving enough (in our humble opinion), we see someone who does not volunteer enough, we see someone as too prideful, we see someone acting in a way that we do not approve of…….. OUCH!
We look and we judge. We decide who deserves our kindness, compassion, and love and who doesn't. And we feel justified in our belief that somehow, these people deserve less of our compassion, love, and kindness. However, I am here to say that when we do this we are wrong. Don't believe me? Go back to the commandment in John at the top of the page. It doesn't get any simpler than this statement: Love each other. You see, we are not commanded to judge whether or not someone is deserving of our love, we are commanded to LOVE. Period. Nothing more. Boy if you aren't as uncomfortable reading this as I am typing it, you may need to go back and re-read the previous paragraph.
And I do not want you to misunderstand what I am saying. You can still show love, compassion and kindness to someone without approving of their choices. Every year our church sends gifts to various inmates in local prisons. That's what I am talking about. You see, we are still treating them as human beings, regardless of their actions. We are not sending them letters pointing out all the ways in which they have done wrong and are deserving of their life. We simply send little gifts. And if you still need convincing, let me tell you that God looks at you and loves you IN SPITE of your actions, decisions, etc…. You are a product of the grace, mercy, love, compassion and kindness God has shown/continues to show to you. Even if you were the only person on this planet, your sin alone, would have required the sacrifice of Jesus to cover it. Hmmmmmm…. that's humbling. Every human being on this planet is God's creation, and as such, they are loved by God. Everyone. And if you think that God couldn't love a certain person, think again. Throughout the Bible He showed his love for adulterers, thieves, liars, those with handicaps, murderers, prostitutes, the prideful, those who persecuted others, the sick, the elderly, the disobedient, children, adults, ….. you get the picture. God's love includes all, not just some. And it is God's love for people that draws them to him. Not judgement. Not condemnation. Not fear. Not shame. If you really want to draw people to God, do what God does, love them.
"There is knowledge. There is wisdom. The difference is compassion."
"In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to ALL you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with."
Brian Tracy
"All around you there are people who are hurting, people who need your love, people who need your encouragement. Let God use your gifts and talents to bless them."
"I would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion -- where it isn't, that's where my work lies."
So my challenge to myself and to you is to remember that you have one job. Your one job in this life is to love others. That's it. Such a simple, yet complex thing. I want to always lean towards love in my interactions with others and away from judgement. My goal is to treat everyone with love, kindness, and compassion. I wish that I could say that this comes naturally to me with everyone I meet. But the truth is, that sometimes I have to consciously choose to act and react that way. But it is the most important job I have, and so I will continue striving to do this to the the best of my ability, and with a lot of help from God. I love this quote from Mother Theresa-
"I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness."
She is one of my personal heroes in life. Her legacy to this earth is one of compassion, kindness and love. Speaking of love, I love to watch my son run hurdles at the track meets. So I'll leave you with one photo today. Go out in love this week and touch someone in a meaningful way!
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