Live in harmony with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, compassion, and kindness toward other believers. 1 Peter 3:8 The Passion Translation

Compassion

I walked outside of the DFW airport looking for my daughter’s car. She had offered to come pick me up from a business trip. The last few months had been hard in so many ways. My late husband, Bill, was declining rather rapidly. No longer able to breathe or swallow due to complications of muscular dystrophy, he needed a lot of help to get to bed in the evening. Our daughter had graciously offered to take over my caregiving responsibilities for the few days I had been away on a business trip.

I felt a wave of love as I saw her get out of the car and wave at me with her warm smile. She gave me a warm hug

“How did it go?” I asked as I got in the car.

“It was harder than I thought it would be, Mom,” she replied.

“Oh sweetie, I am so sorry it was hard. Did I do a terrible job of explaining all you needed to do?” I asked.

“No, your instructions were great and helped a lot. After I got Dad in bed the first night though, once I got to my car I just sat there and wept. Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?” she asked.

“I just feel so bad for him and what he is going through,” she continued. “I feel so helpless.”

I reassured her that the gift of her presence had made a huge difference in our peace of mind. Later, when I “talked” with Bill he informed me that he would miss her organizational skills which were far better than mine. We laughed together at the way our daughter had inherited his methodical approach rather than my creative expressions.

My late husband, Bill, was diagnosed with an adult onset form of muscular dystrophy (FSHD) that left him needing a lot of care in the last two and half years of his life. He had to be on a full-time ventilator and so could not talk. Our conversations were via a white board and some sign language. Through it all, his compassion and consistent love were amazing. Our daughter grew up to be just like him.

Honor Keys

Think about a situation where you received compassion when you did not deserve it. What happened? How did it make you feel to see God’s love demonstrated in a practical way?

Think about a situation where you received compassion when you did not deserve it. What happened? How did it make you feel to see God's love demonstrated in a practical way?Click To Tweet Let the person know how much you appreciate their affection and love.

Active Definition of Compassion

Compassion means that you feel the pain of others and do all that is possible to relieve that pain. It is the expression of love through tender and gentle actions. There is grace in the manifestation of what you are feeling because you put yourself in that person’s place rather than judging them quickly and becoming angry.

But Lord, your nurturing love is tender and gentle. You are slow to get angry yet so swift to show your faithful love. You are full of abounding grace and truth.  Psalm 86:5 TPT

Wording

Thank you for showing kindness and compassion on a consistent basis. I will never forget the time that you _____________ (specific example). It taught me how much God loves me and has the best for me. You believe in me when I don’t even believe in myself. Your words of grace and God’s truth have changed my life. For that, I am eternally grateful.

This is day 3 of a 31 day writing challenge. For more inspiration on honoring those you love, click here.

 

Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love, check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope. Karen’s third book on hope – The Power of Hope for Caregivers: Honor the Ride will be released on 11.20.18.