compassion

A Father’s Compassion – Guest Post

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This week I would like to introduce my friend Pastor Janice Burnett. Janice not only helps with her contributions to our Sunshine Newsletter, but she also is a chaplain and overseer of nursing home outreach in several facilities in western New York. I appreciate that she has graciously given me permission to share this article and photograph as a testimony to her dad and insight into the even more amazing compassion of our heavenly Father. 

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear
him; for he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13-14 NIV

As a young adult, once when I borrowed our family car, I had a minor accident. Don’t ask me what I was thinking when I thought that my dad wouldn’t notice the scrape on the back fender when I came home so I didn’t mention it to him. You’re right – I wasn’t thinking! It wasn’t long before I heard my name being called – but in a very calm fashion. ” What happened, Jan? And were you going to tell me about it?” I honestly don’t remember anything about the rest of the conversation or if the scrape was ever repaired. However, I remember very clearly that I felt terrible about keeping this incident from my father and the very calm and compassionate way he dealt with me about it. King David identified with this when he wrote those words, then he went on to tell us that God’s love for those who fear Him, is so great that He removes all our transgressions far, far away from us. Not only that, but God also remembers how we are made (out of dust, no less) and His righteousness remains as a blessing forever with all the generations who follow His commands. The compassion of my wonderful earthly father is wonderful because it gives me a picture of the tremendously huge compassion of our amazingly wonderful heavenly Father. Now what could be more beautiful than that?

Not Lost in the Crowd

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When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.  Mark 6:34 ESV

After this last year most of us are mentally and physically worn out. During the pandemic, many of us have lost friends and family to the virus and have gone through a time of isolation such as we have never known. Jesus had felt all of that and more after receiving the news that his cousin had been beheaded added to the fact that people were around him so much that we are told they did not even have a chance to eat. When Jesus suggested that they go somewhere to get away and rest I can picture the disciples doing a happy dance while shouting, “Amen!” But as Jesus stepped out of the boat at their getaway location he looked out and saw the crowd had followed them. You might think that He would see those people as a frustration or a burden. But, instead today’s verse says “He had compassion on them. because they were like sheep without a shepherd. ” He didn’t just see a crowd, He saw people – one by one. Considering that today there are 7.6 billion people in the crowd, aren’t you glad He knows you by name and wants to be your shepherd? And what does a shepherd do? – He makes sure the sheep get fed, and that is exactly what Jesus did next. Now back to the story. Remember that the disciples had not eaten since the day before and would have been delighted to see the crowds leave.  But instead, Jesus invited those 12 hungry guys to become part of a miracle bigger than they could imagine.

 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” Mark 6:37

See as our shepherd the first thing Jesus does is teach us to shepherd others. Of course he could have just said, “Give me a loaf of bread!” and presto! – multiply it all by himself. Instead, He asks us all to see people as He does. The people around us are always just a mob, when we are more interested in our needs than theirs. But when we see people for who they are to Jesus, we will discover a compassion that makes sure that not one hungry child will get lost in the crowd!