WILLS POINT, TX – Compassion is more than just a word. In fact, dictionaries identify compassion as a noun, i.e., a thing. But the complete meaning of compassion goes far beyond being a noun. By its very nature and derivation, compassion describes physical action.
Compassion is the juxtaposition of two Latin words that means “to suffer together.”
Compassion International, a global faith-based organization, understands what compassion means. Here are just a few of the ways they describe the matter.
Jesus exemplified compassion. There are 12 times when the Gospels describe Jesus being moved with compassion. Each occasion also records how His compassion was evidenced. Jesus healed the sick, fed the multitudes, caused the blind to see, healed people of leprosy, cast out demons and taught the unlearned.
Asia is home to the largest population of marginalized people. Their misery is so great that it would be disingenuous to teach them about the love of Jesus without loving them with compassion, just as He does.
Ask a blind man what he wants; he wants to see.
Ask a someone begging on the street what he needs; he needs shelter and something to eat.
Ask a leprosy patient what she needs; she needs a faithful friend who visits her and cleans her wounds.
Those marginalized people need someone who cares enough to DO something to help them—someone with compassion.
Examples of Living Out Compassion: GFA Compassion Services
Gospel for Asia-supported workers in Asia are committed to living compassionately. An entire arm of GFA’s ministry is dedicated to Compassion Services, providing help and hope to people living in slums, leprosy colonies, areas with little medical care and disaster-stricken communities.
Specialized women missionaries, Sisters of Compassion, sacrifice their own personal gain to live a simple lifestyle while giving their lives to serve others. They demonstrate compassion to leprosy patients, slum dwellers, widows, and orphans—people whom Jesus said the rest of mankind views as “the least of these”.
Sisters of Compassion conduct health and hygiene awareness programs for slum dwellers. They teach them simple and basic hygiene habits. They also distribute health and hygiene supplies and hold literacy classes for children who are unable to attend school. The women serve among orphaned children, giving them the love and care they need and teaching them moral values. They also help widows find emotional healing and support them in practical ways, such as by conducting literacy classes for the widows and their children.
Other trained GFA-supported workers on relief teams lead the way into cities and villages that have been ravaged by natural disasters, living out the answers to many prayers for help.
Not everyone can serve in Asia or other parts of the world where people are deprived of the comforts that we take for granted. Yet, our compassion compels us to help. The best way—and for most, the only way—to help the people of Asia is by giving generously to provide the resources necessary for those ministering in that region.
Learn more about GFA Compassion Services and about how you can express your compassion for those in Asia who live in desperate circumstances by clicking here.
- Greater Good Compassion, What Is Compassion?
- Compassion International, Understanding the Meaning of Compassion
- Bible Study Tools, Compassion
Image Source: Gospel for Asia, Photo of the Day