Perched
on a tall stool in the kitchen, I flipped through the TV as I ate my nutritious
bowl of cereal. I paused on a channel when a picture of a sickly, emaciated child
flashed across the screen. The scene transitioned quickly to a beautiful blonde
who urged all viewers to help provide these children with clean water to help
them live healthy lives. My heart twisted as the child once again was shown.
The camera zoomed in on his tear-streaked face. His big eyes seemed so hollow.
I didn’t know his name, but my heart hurt for that little boy.
My
mind went back to that moment when I read this verse in my quiet time: Mat 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved
with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as
sheep having no shepherd.” Why did I feel so deeply for that child? Why does
the need for medicine, food, clothing, shelter, and physical safety affect the
heart of Christians and non-Christians alike? How is it that we can feel
emotions so powerful that they propel us to call that number on the screen,
take a missions trip, or donate shoes to needy children? Somehow the needs that
are showcased on TV or through a presentation tap into something deep in us
that requires a sacrificial action.
As I
read the Bible, I am convicted of the command God gave to me to reach the lost.
I am commanded to reach the world, along with every child of the King. I am
willing to obey, but how can I, like Jesus, look on people with compassion? How
do I see what He sees? Americans confuse me. I’m just being really honest here.
I look at their shiny cars, 40-something plans, 8-5 work schedule, traffic and
vacations… and I’m baffled. They don’t seem to need Jesus at all. Yet whether
it is Peruvians or Americans, I want to see what Jesus sees. I want to be moved
with compassion. When asked what he saw as he looked out a window, D.L. Moody
replied, “I see countless thousands of
souls that will one day spend eternity in hell if they do not find the Savior.” How do I grasp
that passion? How does that part of Jesus become a part of me?
A
very simple and maybe overly easy answer I’ve come to is this: we are moved
with compassion when we see someone lacking something that we are convinced is
essential to life. I hurt for those without proper medical care. I cry for my
girls in Peru that are beat at home. I will gladly give food to the homeless woman
on the corner. Medicine, safety, and food are things I consider to be essential
for living. What about the soul that does not have Jesus?
