Where Has All The Compassion Gone? …Hello Hump Day readers. You’ll probably think I’ve gone bonkers as I start this devotion, but hang on, because don’t we all need “a little compassion” in today’s rat-race society?

The other day I decided to put on some of my ‘oldies’ which I have on my computer. The first song grabbed me and I listened over and over again to Pete Seeger’s Where Have All The Flowers Gone, sung by Peter, Paul and Mary. I decided to investigate the meaning Seeger had for this song…long story short, it is bundled up with compassion for people and the earth. PBS did a documentary on Seeger when he was 94, and they said: “In a career that’s spanned over 70 years…Seeger has embodied the idealism that once defined the American spirit. A tireless crusader for social justice, world harmony, environmental causes, and the need for compassion for one another. Seeger was even called, at the height of his activism, “America’s tuning fork, and he couldn’t stand excuses from those who didn’t care.” 

My Scripture devotion for the same day was the story of the ten bridesmaids and I chuckled a bit because God dropped that right in there for me knowing I was going to write this devotion! You can find it in Matthew 25:1-13, where we find 5 wise bridesmaids who had oil in their lamps and 5 who were foolish and did not put oil in their lamps. Here is the sad part about the wise bridesmaids who told the foolish ones that asked for some of their oil: “We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.”  The end of that story has 5 accepted into God’s love, and 5 who were rejected. It’s no wonder that Matthew 9:36 tells us: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

We all find ourselves in the “sea of excuses” but the worst of the excuses is when we don’t reach out to others with our faith and the compassion to help them. And I am not speaking about those who don’t believe in God, I am speaking about ALL of us. Even people of faith tend to move on to their own needs rather than others. It happens in our churches and synagogues, mosques, etc. In our society we easily forget what compassion is and we don’t want to be bothered with it, we have things to do in our own lives. Many will even tell you they don’t care of “this isn’t my problem.” There is the “I-me” problem we have today and we have a blind-eye to others in need.

One of my favorite preachers was C.H. Spurgeon. It bothered him that people of faith didn’t care about sharing their faith. He said “The Holy Spirit will move them by first moving you. If you can rest without their being saved, they will rest too; but if you are filled with an agony for them, and if you cannot bear that they should be lost, you will soon find that they are uneasy too.”

Ponder those words for a while and ask yourself “where do I find me in Spurgeon’s words?” Then think of what Jesus did in his earthly ministry. People wanted him constantly. He was mobbed with huge numbers of those with desperate needs. I think of the woman at the well, the woman with the issue of blood, the 10 lepers, Jairus’ daughter, the disciples on a boat in a storm that was ready to take them under, the young man who was possessed by demons, the feeding of thousands with bread and fish—we can go on and on with the compassion of our loving Savior. But if we don’t take that to heart, what good is it?

Some will say, “well, that is Jesus, of course He can see their needs and help them with a quick miracle.” Really? Since we are the children of God, the power of Jesus’ resurrection lives in us and that power is there to open our eyes to see the needs of others and have the strength to share compassion and the good news of who Jesus is and how He loves them.

In closing I keep thinking of “where have all the flowers have gone” – the compassion, the heart that beats for those who are in crisis in body, soul, and mind. It is time we really DO care. Not just for needs, but for the souls who know nothing of eternity with Christ. I like the way Pastor Greg Laurie who, in a Harvest outreach said: “If you and I are going to be used by God in any capacity, we have to develop something called compassion. We must have to care.”  So, how is your “compassion thermometer working?” AMEN.