Compassion

The LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.

—Isaiah 30:18

Do you have a word right now that catches you every time you see it? You’re drawn to it, and you want to hold it in your hand like a coin? That’s how I feel about the word compassion right now—when someone uses it, I lean in close. When I read it in Isaiah, something in me yearns for it.

I’ve always thought about being compassionate to other people—quick to give grace, happy to give a second chance, eager to show kindness. But the idea of God showing his great, tender compassion toward me? That’s not something I’ve thought a lot about, and now that I do, I find it so welcome, so healing, so deeply moving.

Our God, holy and perfect, loving beyond measure, doesn’t force himself to show us compassion—he longs to do it. He’s looking for ways to show his tender, healing love.

So often I think of God as an angry boss I’ve failed again or a stern parent I’ve disappointed again. But Isaiah reminds me what is true: our God longs to be gracious and compassionate. And I’m longing for that grace and compassion, an entirely different way of living than the one I’m used to.