Putting on a Heart of Compassion
By Emily Rose Massey
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:12-13, ESV).
It seems that I have been blessed with a strong immune system. When my children get sick, my husband typically catches whatever they have, but I somehow escape the germs. I am thankful for that, but it also means mama is the sole nurse for everyone when that happens. If I’m not careful, I find myself complaining and grumbling that I am the only one keeping the house in order and “keeping everyone alive.” When I happen to fall ill on rare occasions, I very seldom rest and try to plow through my responsibilities even when I’m not feeling my best.
The more I reflect upon this pattern of behavior I start to wonder if this all stems from trying to avoid feeling weak. The question I then must ask myself is: when I see weakness, do I look down upon others for not handling their trial like I think they should?
Just because I may be able to seemingly “handle more,” even if by God’s grace, that doesn’t mean I should hold others to the same standard in every instance. Scripture tells us we need to see others through the lens of love and compassion, and it’s something we need to make a conscious effort to do. The Apostle Paul, in the book of Colossians, urges believers:
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:12-13, ESV).
Paul listed some fruit of the Spirit, but also the command to “put on” these godly traits. When we are born again in Christ, we receive the fruit of the Spirit. But it is our responsibility to ensure we yield to the Spirit, instead of allowing our flesh to rule and reign. In this way, the fruit of our lives shines for God’s glory.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Yielding to the Spirit means walking in the Spirit, following His lead over our own flesh. When we are being led by the Spirit, we are putting to death the ways of the flesh, because the sins and desires of the flesh are against the Spirit. This is not a passive or mysterious “leading” or “subjective feeling,” but rather an active, ever-present fight in the believer's life. Thankfully, we as disciples of Christ are not left to human subjectivity and confusion, we have God’s word as a lamp to our feet in a world of darkness and sin (Psalm 119:105).
Therefore, Bible study and prayer time are critical because this is how the Lord transforms our hearts and renews our minds. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of fleshly, sinful behavior, we must confess our sins. Christ is faithful and just to forgive us. We are also empowered by the Holy Spirit to choose to walk in righteous ways as we learn to depend upon Him. By His grace, we become less selfish and more compassionate, patient, kind, and humble. Let’s learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, and with His help, put on love so all may see God’s goodness.
Further Reading:
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