Recently I have been connecting with some guys who are opening their hearts in vulnerability to some pretty deep wounds. I am impressed with their courage to be transparent but also pierced by the reality of just how broken we all are. We walk in a depraved world, fallen and chaotic, and we have to have compassion and grace for our fellow sojourners. The histories we carry on our backs and in our hearts and minds could weigh down the strongest amongst us. When facing the reality of brokenness, I can live in His grace for my fellow man because we all are in the same boat as sojourners in a broken land. None of us escape this fallen world unscathed.
Having Empathy and Compassion
Last week I wrote a post about seeing my world and humanity from God’s own view rather than through my opinion, judgment or discernment. By having my Father’s eyes about those around me, I bring His Life and Light to all situations. To be perfectly honest, I can’t gaze at all the devastation without it deeply poking my heart. I have heard of the abuse of children that has left a wake of destruction throughout lives. People carry these scars and it affects their daily lives. Whether their reaction is shame or bitterness, the effects of this sinful world can traumatize us.
I too have been torn down and plundered. Life has battered me as it has everyone. Even the mildest effects of sin on our person still wound us deeply. My damage from sin has made me deeply empathetic to the suffering of others. And there is a reason.
We have a Savior who is acquainted with our grief. He knows our suffering and knows specifically the effects of sin on our heart. Not only our sin but the sins that have wounded us from others. It isn’t like He is unaware of the result of the Fall, quite the contrary He entered in very intentionally. Yes Jesus too was wounded by sin and doesn’t look at us with shame, rather compassion.
Jesus’ View of the Broken
Jesus experienced the discomforts and discouragements of this life. He was “a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). He can sympathize with us in a profound way (see Heb. 4:15). And as He leads the way to wholeness and healing, He has entered our pain to lift us out.
What I have learned is He still wants to do this today‑IN ME. He wants to display that same compassion and empathy. He wants Love to rule my life and story. No, this doesn’t mean I don’t confront evil or call sin, sin. But it is Him who is facing the crushing blow of sin on man. Christ is the One who stands looking at it full faced and He brings in the Solution. He in me can receive the broken hearted captives and He in me can set them free. I am but an observer and have the grace to look at the pain and witness His liberation. I don’t get to escape the results of sin in this world, but the One who solved it resolves it with His LIFE!
Yes.