As I write this, I am sitting in a comfy high-back chair at my favorite coffee house. The place is packed today! So crowded, in fact, that I am having to blare my worship music through my headphones to drown out the noise so I can write.
The scene is the same as in most other coffee shops- the people are sitting and talking, laughing or studying. The baristas frantically running around to try to keep up with the demands of todays customers. As I look around, I wonder how many of these people are lost? How many are hurting? Who do they have in their lives sharing God’s love and compassion with them?
As I was praying what to write for this month, I pondered praying for compassion. Not only for us as moms to have compassion, but for our children to have compassion as well. After all, they are the future leaders of our world. Will they look around, as Jesus did, and see the multitudes as sheep without a shepherd and be filled with compassion? Or will they go through their adult lives judgemental, prideful or hard-hearted towards the hurting people around them- the ones that don’t fit into the perfect Christian mold or bubble? I see over and over in scripture that Jesus was compassionate and merciful.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Let your children see a mom who is humble and cares about the hurting people around her- the unwed teenage mothers at the mall, the beggar at the street corner, the sick, the homosexual working behind the coffee counter. Show them God’s compassion in action through you. Stop to smile at the baby in the stroller belonging to the teen mom, drive through the closest fast-food restaurant for a meal to bring to the homeless man, take them with you when you bring a meal to someone who just had a baby, and utter a prayer with your children in the car after you leave the coffee shop for the man behind the counter. Let them also see you minister to your husband when he has had a bad day, kiss the boo-boo of their younger sibling and call your Mother-in-Law to put them on the phone to tell their Grandma that they love her so she does not feel disconnected from them because she lives so far away.
May I suggest that we also make it our aim every day to pray with and for our childen to be filled with compassion for their lost world.
Here is a simple prayer I pray for my family based on Matthew 9:35-37:
Dearest Jesus,
Please help me and my family to be like you when you saw the people around you.
Fill us all with compassion so that we are your hands and feet to our hurting world.
Help us to never be prideful or hear-hearted towards those around us.
Help us to remember that they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Also, remember from last month’s Prayer Corner to pray each day for 3 things- wisdom, knowlege and compassion.
God will answer this prayer and will help you to live like Jesus did.
It will change your life!
Until next month!
About Deb Weakly
