It’s All Right

compassion - It’s All Right

The Lord is very compassionate and merciful. James 5:11

We were eating in a coffee shop when I (Teresa) discovered that I’d lost the fifty-dollar bill we were going to use to pay our check. I panicked, but David’s words were just what I needed. He was so gentle and compassionate as he said, “Teresa, accidents happen. We can pay the bill. Everything’s going to be fine.”

I was so thankful for David’s response that day. I needed David’s reassurance after that incident. But I also felt especially sensitive because of a similar incident as a child.

When I was a girl, my mother had given me money to go buy supplies for a Girl Scout outing. Somewhere along the way, I lost the money. I felt so bad coming home empty-handed. I knew that money was tight at our house and I regretted my mistake. Instead of compassion and understanding, I received criticism and was sent back—alone—to find the money.

In both incidents, I needed someone to understand my hurt and to extend compassion to me. I needed someone to reassure me that everything was going to be all right.

Right after the coffee shop incident, the Lord reminded me that “as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13, NIV). I thanked the Father for being a compassionate parent. I reflected on the hurts that resulted when my own parent had difficulty giving compassion, but I felt extreme gratitude for the confidence I had in the Lord. Secondly, the Lord took me to a passage in Jeremiah in which the Lord tells Jeremiah that He would have compassion on the people of Israel (Jeremiah 30).

I reflected on what a good God we have. I thanked Him for healing my heart and bringing restoration through David’s comfort and compassion.

In what areas do you find it difficult to extend compassion and understanding to your spouse?