It's hard to be compassionate sometimes, but I like the way chapter 27 begins. Joel tells this story of when his dad and he were traveling overseas, and the plane had to stop to refuel on this small island. On the island, Joel's dad discovered a young man who was stranded on the island and gave him money to fly home. Joel's dad thought about his own children and how he would want someone to help them in they were in that situation. I would do anything for my kids so I would hope that I could be compassionate to someone who had a situation similar to what my kids have gone through. The other day a woman, who is one of my facebook friends, was telling about how she lost her 25-year-old son a year ago. I felt such compassion for her because I remembered how close I came to losing Tori when she was 27 to a motorcycle accident. Sometimes I wonder if God allows things like that to happen so that we will have compassion for others. I thank God every day that he spared Tori. Here is a picture of me holding Tori's oldest daughter Sierra when she was a baby.
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One summer when I was having a particularly difficult time getting along with one of my loved ones, I came across this piece of advice in Jerry Jampolsky's LOVE IS LETTING GO OF FEAR: "I can choose to see others as extending love, or as fearful, giving a call for help. When others are acting angry, resentful, judgmental, or seem to be attacking me, I always have the choice to see them at that moment as they appear on the surface, or as fearful, giving a call of help for love. When I do not respond in kind, with anger, resentment, judgment, or attack, I can then go inside myself and find my own abundance of love. I can thus respond with love and compassion, not from the viewpoint of their perceived fear." I can't tell you how this changed my perspective of this person. I realized that she was giving a call for help when she appeared to be attacking me. After that revelation, I responded to her in love, and now we have a great relationship again. It's not always easy to respond in love when someone is attacking, but it is rewarding. At least from my personal experience, it was rewarding because now I have a beautiful relationship with my oldest daughter Teresa. All she really wanted is for me to reach out and prove how much I love her even when she was going through a difficult time and reacting in a difficult manner. Thank You, Lord. I'm so happy and grateful now that You've shown me how to love. Paul says in Colossians 3:14, "Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
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