A LOVE FOR COMPASSION

COMPASSION: A BELIEF THAT BRINGS RELIEF

"By compassion we make others' misery our own, and so, by relieving them, we relieve ourselves also" - Thomas Browne Sr.

Not everyone will accomplish great things, but anyone can show compassion. The younger version of myself wanted to make a difference in people's lives, but my grades weren't great, I didn't have any outstanding talents, and speaking to a group of more than four or five friends made me really nervous.

Dear God, I prayed one night as my eyes welled up with tears. I want you to use me, but I don't have anything worth using. I drifted to sleep before the tears dried on my cheeks.

The next day, while sitting at lunch with my friends, I noticed a new kid sitting by herself at a corner table. I had never seen her before but, looking at the kid's sad face, I was suddenly overwhelmed with compassion. Before I knew it, I was sitting next to the kid, asking her questions. By the end of the day, we decided to hang out at the mall the next weekend.

That afternoon, while sitting on the bus going home, I realized, I may not be the most gifted person, but I can love people! My life was never the same. The next day, I began looking for kids to love, kids who no one else noticed, the kind of kids everyone else mistreated. 

That experience strengthened my belief in the beauty brought about by compassion. Compassion doesn't mean feeling sorry for someone who needs help and doing something about it. It means seeing people the way God sees them, and then being available to be used by God to heal them. More lives have been changed through simple acts of compassion than through all the great speakers and gifted personalities in the world. 

There are 4 things that compassion can do:
1. Comfort a hurting heart
2. Open the door for healing
3. Affirm that every life has a value
4. Introduce someone to God's love

At present, I volunteer in teaching children and reaching out to people in need of medical assistance by joining medical missions. I am also looking forward in becoming a volunteer teacher for children with special needs in orphanages and social development centers. This belief helped me realize that small acts of kindness and compassion can save lives and change the world. We are blessed to bless others, and we are loved to love others.