“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
See Christ in others and see what Christ sees.
Compassion is often when we can see the complexity of a situation instead of just the either / or.
Sometimes we know we cannot fix a situation but we have the heart to allow the place to be and still bring something to the moment.
The times when we are not central to the reference point but we are invested in it.
The energy that we bring into any situation by being involved physically or verbally an be either constructive or destructive.
Mostly it is by bringing a stillness, our none anxious presence into the atmosphere giving time, peace and care to what is before us in our attention.
Counter cultural from the perceived frenetic activity of urgency and business. The perception of importance and the symbol of our status being linked to business.
We are complex, we are ‘this‘ but also ‘that’. We are both ‘this’, ‘that’ and both. We have to recognise this complexity of either / or and both.
We are created in the image of God. In the Trinity there is a Triune being as simple and as complex as what is in us. The one, the other, the both.
The whole has a dynamism that flows , outpourings and is received and culminates into the perfect balance.
We are the creation of and the victims of our nature, generation, culture, experience and beliefs.
Trusting in our best self our feelings, thoughts may come from God. We are made in His image. We are spiritual beings. The Holy Spirit is convicting. This could be called our true self.
We each have a false self too which comes from us trying to appear our best hiding what has offended or hurt, our real opinion, offence or pride.
Being complex we are a mixture of our true self, our false self and both. ‘Love takes no offence’. We can be reactionary. ‘Love is inclusive’. We can be dismissive and exclusionary. Sometimes hypocritical, sometimes judgemental.
Understanding our strength in being both, and or, does help us to keep dependent on and open to receive and to repent to celebrate and remain immersed in the baptismal, life giving water cycle and the loving gaze that we are reciprocal of and powered by.
There can be a truly empathetic place in us for the other and it is from here that love flows from the heart, accompanied by generosity, care, concern.
From this place we can comprehend that it is not all about us and what we are getting it is about what we are bringing.
There is freedom in this place to validate that it is not win or loose, not right or wrong, not self or need, not importance and urgency, not reaction and offence.
Conflict is removed.
The ordinary has time and space to be extraordinary. There are moments of awe and wonder in the natural and man made that are marvellous and give glory to God.
When we give our attention we have the ability to see Christ shining through everything, everyone and ourselves become diaphanous.
Then our visions, thoughts and feelings are closest to God’s.
The illustration shows the light of Christ shining in us and in all things. His gaze of love and compassion shining out for us to reflect. His light pushing back the darkness.
Four Scriptures that come to mind.
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””John 8:12
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV
“If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.”John 5:31-33, 35-36 ESV
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”Ephesians 4:32 ESV
The song Come Trough. Kim Walker Smith
https://youtu.be/olIclnfnoVo
Lessisgreater 