Have Compassion Directly - A Letter from Pastor Todd

Dear PoC Family,

It is easy and common to feel great haunting compassion for people that we can’t help easily or directly.  

• When I worked as a surgical tech in Nashville, TN, I had to transport a young man who was my exact age back to his room.  He had just come from an open and shut surgery that lasted about 30 minutes.  The doctors had found that his abdomen was filled with cancer.  The doctor’s initial guess was that this young man, new husband, son, brother, and friend only had about 6-8 months to live.  As I approached his room, I could hear the family wailing from down the hall.  It was a horrible scene.  As the patient was still recovering, the family and especially his young wife could not contain their emotion as I wheeled this doomed young man into the room.  It haunted me then and haunts me now.  My heart was filled with a painful compassion for a man who I could not help.  Even now, I pray for a wife and family who I do not know.  But, I can’t touch them.  I can’t help them directly.

• When I took my first trip to Cali, Colombia, we took a late night bus ride through the city to go back to our hotel.  I was still floating from the incredible service and touch of the Holy Spirit that we received.  I looked out my window at the beautiful city that was passing by.  I noticed as we go to one of the poorer parts of the city how bad the traffic was, how dark it was, how scary it seemed to be.  Then, I noticed a little boy who was about my son, Samuel’s age, 3 or 4.  He was playing in the middle of the street on a patch of sand as cars and busses hurried by him from both directions.  I was so alarmed that I asked our guide, “Why is that boy in the middle of the road.”  He looked around for the little boy, saw him and said, “Oh, he’s just playing.”  I thought, “Well, yes, I know that!”  I said, “But where are his parents?”  My guide shot back, “Probably working.”  And, that was it.  My heart was filled with a painful compassion for that boy who I could not help.  Even now, I pray for this boy who I do not know.  But, I can’t touch him.  I can’t help him directly.

• Several months back, Pastor Celia Vineyard, our Pastor of Prayer and Encouragement, alerted me to the international story of Meriam Ibrahim, Christian doctor, mother of two (still pregnant with one of her children) was put in a Sudanese prison because of her faith.  I watched this story with the world and cried out to God with thousands of others.  I carried a burden for this young woman and her husband, rejoiced when she was set free, squirmed when she was recaptured, and rejoiced again as the story began to unfold.  My heart was filled with a painful compassion for her and her family who I could not help.  Even now, I pray for a woman who I do not know.  But, I can’t touch her.  I can’t help her directly.

In Matthew 9, Jesus said to the Pharisees who questioned why He befriended sinners, “Go and find out what is meant by the scripture that says:  ‘It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.’”  (Matt. 9: 13a)  The original Greek word translated as “kindness” here, means to show pity or compassion towards hurting people.  Jesus performed powerful, direct, hands-on-the-spot miracles in Matthew 9:  healed the sick and demon-possessed (directly), a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years (directly), a young girl raised back to life (directly), a man delivered from a demon that kept him from speaking (directly), and two blind men who received their sight (directly).  Matthew, who wrote this book, had personally experienced God’s compassion (directly) when Jesus ate with him and his ‘sinner’ friends.  Matthew describes his perception of Jesus beautifully in Matthew 9: 36:  “As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  

PoC, it is easy and common to feel great haunting compassion for people that we can’t help easily or directly.  I hear it all the time (ALL THE TIME):  people who carry huge burdens for people “over there” or children “over there” or poverty “over there”.  And this is good.  We need to pray diligently for people that we can’t touch.  Prayer is often all we have.  We need to give to people “over there,” because we have been blessed and can/should/must help.  But, if we are not careful we will allow these far away needs to blind us from being hands-on right here where we are in our own city where we can touch directly and give directly.  We must learn what it means to have compassion for people directly if we are going to impact our cities the way Jesus modeled moment-by-moment compassion.  Up and down the streets where Jesus walked directly was where he felt compassion and did his great miracles.

Think about it.  Here in Bloomington/Normal, if your heart is moved with compassion when you see poverty, we got your poverty.  It’s right here in our streets.  Here in Bloomington/Normal, if your heart is moved with compassion when you see abuse, we got your abuse.  It’s right here in our streets.  Here in Bloomington/Normal, if your heart is moved by homelessness, neglect, extreme illness, and death, we got your homelessness, neglect, extreme illness, and death.  It’s right here in our streets.  We can pray for those hurting around the world AND we can be led by our Spirit-given compassion for the lost, hurting and dying right here where we are, directly.

Pray and give beyond?  Certainly.  But locally, get caught red-handed right in the middle of God’s plans.

Hey, I’m back and can’t wait to see you on Sunday,

Pastor Todd