Unsung Heroes: Compassion of Philip — Monday
Matthew 9:36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (NIV)
A couple of years ago, we decided to get a new family pet. We knew what we wanted (a gray cat), and we soon found one and drove to the shelter to meet our prospective pet.
We sat down, and “Luna” was brought out to us. Right off the bat, we saw that she’s one eye short. Because of her missing eye, she has no depth perception, can’t judge jumps, and tends to run into things. She likes to chew through bags and steal food (specifically bread). She’s allergic to a lot of food, she’s missing some teeth, and she has bad ears. She was the runt of the litter, so she’s very small. On top of that, she can be really grumpy. And to drive home her challenges, we were told she was adopted once before, but was brought back because the new owners couldn’t deal with her. She was, without a doubt, the worst possible candidate for a family pet.
But when she walked over to us and sat in my lap, we knew what we were going to do. My entire family (all four of us) decided that if we didn’t adopt Luna, no one would. She had been thrown away her whole life, and we chose to make her part of our family.
Compassion drove my family to adopt Luna. It should also drive us to share God’s grace with others. If we’re honest, there shouldn’t be a day that passes by when we aren’t lavishing God with gratitude for the grace He has shown us. We aren’t getting the punishment we deserve. And we don’t deserve the gifts and blessings He’s given us. How, then, can we look at someone who hasn’t experienced that love and forgiveness and not be overwhelmed with compassion? For me, Luna is a daily reminder that we all need someone to love and care for us. We all need a shepherd. And those of us who know the Good Shepherd should be moved with compassion to share His love with those who don’t.
We all need to live our lives as if we’re completely unworthy of adoption into God’s family, because we are. But we should also live with the utmost joy and gratitude for the fact that, because of God’s overwhelming love and grace, we’ve been given that opportunity anyway.
Monday’s Reflection
Take a few minutes to write a thank you letter to God. Thank Him for His love and forgiveness. Thank Him for giving you the privilege of being adopted into His family. Put it somewhere you’ll see it all week to remind you to be grateful for this indescribable gift.