Responding With Compassion

Responding with Compassion

Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

Matthew 18:10

My husband and I provided foster care for more than six years to children in our county. During that time period, we took in approximately twenty kids. Some stayed with us a few weeks; others stayed months or even a year; and two we adopted, keeping them forever as a part of our family.

Often the children who arrived on our doorstep had hard exteriors. Life experiences had taught them that to get what they wanted or needed, they had to be aggressive and angry and show no fear. On the surface, these kids seemed unapproachable, and at times they would act out with behaviors that would push most people away.

Understanding that for many of the children, these behaviors were just defense mechanisms, my husband and I would try to respond in a way that was completely opposite from what the child expected: when they yelled, we’d whisper a response; when they pushed us away, we’d sit close by to show we cared. One child would scream and cry as I held her, as I let her know she was safe from any harm. Although change didn’t come overnight, these compassionate responses to the children in our care eventually led to small changes in their behavior and in their reactions to us.

We may not fully understand the life experiences that someone else has walked through, the events that made them who they are today. Some may have faced hardships we’ve never even dreamed of understanding. A compassionate response to others can disarm even the hardest of hearts, allowing us to better understand or relate to where they are coming from and helping us not to look down on anyone. We know that God cares deeply for each of the children we’ve taken in, and it’s our job to reflect that love to them.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Think of someone whom you have a hard time getting along with, and consider what may have led the person to act the way they do. Then pray that God would give you compassion for them.