Compassion | Anchored in Hope Devotions

No one wants pain and suffering. We would rather run far away from it, and yet it can be one of God's good gifts.

He is not the cause of pain and suffering. We live in a sin-cursed world which automatically includes hard things. However, God sometimes allows these trials to teach us things that cannot be learned any other way.

What, you might ask, are these things that I can learn? Well, I'm glad you asked!

First, we can learn to be more understanding and compassionate! It is one thing to know intellectually about an unwanted health diagnosis such as cancer or Parkinson’s or any number of health issues. Or you are the caregiver of such a person. Or it could be the emotional heartache of an unwanted divorce or a wayward child or betrayal by someone we love. This list could go on and on.

We can care to a certain degree about what other people are going through, but when we go through something personally, our ability to understand and show compassion grows exponentially if we allow God to do His life-changing work in us.

"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

- Christy L. Franco