What to Wear Part II

Part II of "What to Wear"

[C]lothe yourselves with compassion ….
Colossians 3:12

The first garment is compassion, which can be describes as a deep feeling of sharing the suffering of another. It is not hard to find suffering people around you these days. Everywhere you look there is pain and suffering. If compassion was to be a skirt it would be a maxi mini or pants that have been cut to daisy dukes; in other words we are very short on compassion in this world. So short that we tune it to watch other peoples pain on daily talk shows, buy tabloids to see the latest pictures of stars falling back into rehab and even revel in the desperate fictious antics of suburbian wives. Yes, compassion is a rare commodity. Are you aware of the suffering around you? Not the global suffering, but the pain and sadness of those around you in school, work and even home? Do you care?

Someone has spread a terrible uncompassionate lie! The lie is that crying is a sign of weakness and those who cry or show their pain are weak and pitiful. We often turn away, even run way from others pain with disgust and contempt. We have falling for the lie and shed ourselves from the ability to care and show compassion.

It seems to me that all too often we are all too quick to blame people and judge them without stopping to think of what they are going through or what made them the way they are.
Don't you think compassion would look good on you? Do you have it hanging in your closet, waiting to be put on? If you put on compassion you won't be so quick to condemn or judge. We'll give people room to make mistakes. We ourselves will have the greater capacity to forgive and grow.

So how do can you put compassion on? Remember that everyone has their own battles and sufferings, no matter how good they try to make their lives seem. When you see someone acting is way that makes you cringe in disgust or anger we should pray for them. That's right pray for them. You will be amazed how much more compassionate you will feel toward them and the suffering around you. So remember to:

[C]lothe yourselves with compassion ….
Colossians 3:12

Next we will unfold the second garment in this special wardrobe, kindness.