Compassion

Our women's bible study group at church has just started to read through Philippians.

Philippians is a good book with the instruction on not being anxious and thinking on good things.

This morning, in chapter 1:7-8, it struck me when Paul said this:

"God can testify how I long for all of you 

with the affection of Christ Jesus."

WITH the affection of Christ Jesus.

Meaning feeling towards others as Jesus feels towards them.

Loving, 

compassionate, 

forgiving.

It is no coincidence that I when I read this this morning,  I had my neighbor on my mind.

My neighbor who came over last night

with a black eye.

A black eye that she received trying to restrain a little boy that was in a fit.

Her daughter was was babysitting the boy

and called her mom for back up.

The daughter felt sick for her mom's injury and told me herself that she wish it were her with the black eye.

She'd come up with a good story on how she got it.

(Never selling out the truth lest it further hurt the family the boy belongs to.)

I asked if she'd ever babysit for the boy again.

"Sure. I love him. He was just having a bad day."

Whoa!

Not the reaction I expected.

Or even the one I'd probably have.

My neighbor hasn't been able to leave her house since the incident

because she doesn't want to be 

a walking billboard 

for the little boy's bad day.

She doesn't want to further harm the family.

(Who feels just terrible about the incident.)

The compassion in her voice

and albeit bruised face 

was nothing short of astonishing.

I gave her a big pair of sunglasses to better cover her darkened eye.

I offered to pick some things up at the store.

But what I really wanted to do was unzip her heart 

just a teence 

and let that compassion

that "affection of Christ Jesus"

ooze out all over me.