A friend pointed out to me the original version of this post (posted Feb. 7) seemed to leave out the Holy Spirit in my attempt at compassion. I’ve done a couple of minor edits to show how God is always there to create in us a Christ-like heart and how He worked in mine.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)
While Galatians 5 doesn’t give an exhaustive list of all the fruit of the spirit, it is a pretty good start.
Luke 6:43-45 says: 43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
That’s Jesus talking there, and He’s telling us we should be producing fruit, good fruit, the fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
I was thinking the other day, “Why isn’t compassion listed in Galatians chapter 5?” In reality, compassion is in the list of fruit. It’s right in there with love, patience, kindness, and gentleness. In fact, there are theologians who believe “fruit” in the passage is singular, that the passage is speaking only of love and the others: joy, peace, patience, and so on are produced by that love; are aspects of that love.
Since God is love. Again, He’s not just loving, He’s love the Bible tells us (1 John 4:8). Compassion is a display of God’s love in us. So, what if I don’t feel compassionate? What can I do?
I’ve had issues with compassion since childhood. I was raised to believe I am responsible for my own actions and so are others. If I get myself into a tough spot, I’ve always thought it was up to me to get myself out. I expected the same from other people.
Once we had a guest teacher take over my Bible class, and he spoke on Barnabas: Son of Encouragement. During the lesson, he put his hands on my shoulders and suggested to the class if they had a problem they would certainly come to me with it. Everyone in the class smiled but shook their heads, “no.” They saw I was not a model of compassion to say the least. They knew my attitude was “everyone is responsible for their own actions.” But, that attitude doesn’t seem to align well with the Christ-likeness I’m seeking. So, I decided I needed to change – but how?
There is a story of an evangelist in New York who used to go door to door in the tenement housing. He would share the gospel with the people who answered. If they listened but weren’t sure they wanted to accept Christ, he told them to pretend to be a Christian for 30 days: pray, read your Bible daily, and follow its teachings; and he would come back at the end of the 30 days to see how things went. Strangely enough, many had turned their lives over to Christ upon his return. Moral of the story? If you don’t feel drawn to Christian acts, fake it and it may become a part of your life.
So, I started faking it, you know, practicing compassionate behavior without feeling the urge to be compassionate all the time praying for the Holy Spirit to fill me with compassion. It worked. I now find myself looking for ways to help others, to ask the store clerk if there is anything I can pray for, for instance. I find myself looking for ways to bless others. I text my children every day telling them I prayed for them that morning. I text, call, and/or visit sick or struggling friends giving them support. God has changed my heart and the fruit I produce. I’m not faking it anymore.
Why is this important?
When we reach out to people who need help or just need to be remembered, we bless them as well as ourselves. More importantly, of course, we bless the God who had compassion on us by sending His Son.
This isn’t just true with compassion, it’s true with all Christian behavior. I have a Christian friend who hated Latinos. Through a series of events, he ended up working at an orphanage in Mexico. He told me the moment he picked up a hurting Latino child and placed him on his lap, he felt his hatred melt away, and God replaced it with love not just for the child but for the people as well. He had sort of faked it until the love of God in him became evident.
Maybe it’s not compassion with you. Maybe you find another Christian behavior difficult to practice. Step out, and give it a try. Pray, then fake it. It may just make you a better Christian.
Believers Armed and Dangerous 