Compassion

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. (Romans 12:15 KJV)

Hurting people are all around us. Crumbling marriages; teenagers in crisis; friends and family members struggling to keep their lives together. Showing compassion to people enduring difficult trials like this opens the door for them to heal. But what sort of emotions reflect genuine, Christian compassion? Sadness? Concern? Pity? It’s an important question because we can only offer authentic compassion when we understand what it is. 

The English word “compassion” is derived from two Latin words. The first means “with”; the second means “to suffer.” Taken together, the word “compassion” literally means “to suffer with” someone. It involves not just feeling sympathy for another person’s misfortune but a willingness to respond by taking action on their behalf. In fact, ancient playwrights used a similar Greek word to depict warhorses, chomping at their bits, eager to charge into battle. 

You see, Christian compassion doesn’t stand aloof from someone in pain, feeling sorry for their circumstances, all-the-while remaining detached and uninvolved. It requires us to enter into suffering with those around us. In certain cases, this may mean doing what we can to alleviate someone’s problems. But even when we can’t, we can still actively engage in their pain the way Scripture instructs by weeping with those who weep and struggling alongside those who struggle.