A Call to Compassion

Before I begin this blog, I want to put a disclaimer that this really doesn’t have much to do with the World Race or my team leading trip this fall, but rather with something that the Lord has laid on my heart to write about, and I figured that this was the best platform to share my thoughts on. For those of you who don’t know, I am extremely passionate about social justice, and using compassion in social justice. Injustice in any form is something that I simply cannot tolerate. I believe that this is a quality that the Lord created me with. I can also say confidently that as my relationship with Jesus has grown, as my knowledge of the Bible has grown, and as I have seen more of the world, that this passion has only grown stronger. I also want to start this by saying that something that I have had to remind myself of a lot lately is this: thank God that He is more merciful than we are. That He does not judge us as harshly as we judge others. That He doesn’t judge me as harshly as I judge others. So I do not say any of this out of judgment, but I say this out of love and with the prayer that the Holy Spirit will speak through me in this.

It is no secret that we live in a broken world. I’m not sure whether it’s because I have become more aware of this fact as I have gained more life experience or whether it is genuinely getting worse, but y’all, this world is BROKEN. As Christians, we know that the only way that things are going to get better is if more and more people accept Christ and allow Him to sit on the throne of their hearts. Ephesians 6:12 says that we “are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” So the question has to be asked, what are we as the church doing to further the Kingdom right now? In the months since I have been home, our country seems like it is more dramatically divided along political lines than ever. Democrats see Republicans as their enemies. Republicans see Democrats as theirs. While party lines thirty years ago were drawn over differences in policy, many today would argue that it has now progressed past issues of policy, and now is a black and white issue of right versus wrong. All over social media, I see a lot people, both professing Christians and not, making impassioned statements about a plethora of hot topics: COVID, racism, whether masks are helpful or not, the election, the economy, protests, riots, Black Lives Matter, police brutality, the list can go on and on. In the midst of all of this, and without the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them to tell them any different, a lot of unsaved people in this country have allowed either politics, their political party, or even outright hate to sit on the throne of their hearts. I’m about to say something that might be controversial, but I have felt like this for a while and I genuinely need to get it off my chest. There are a lot of professing Christians who I believe have made an idol out of this country. Out of their political party. Out of their idea of patriotism. Out of any number of things besides God. I see a lot of name calling. Finger pointing. To be honest, I see a lot of hatred. The comment sections that I have seen under political discussion forums, news articles, and personal Facebook statuses are genuinely heartbreaking to me as a Christian. The name calling and belittling on both sides is, to put it lightly, unacceptable. Firstly, disrespecting another person, on any level, is obviously wrong. Anyone disrespecting anyone else should be held to a higher standard. But to see Christians use the language that they use in online political discourse and to see the lack of compassion for other people has at times made me physically nauseous, and I believe that it grieves the Holy Spirit. I am done sitting by and saying nothing when I see Christians displaying a lack of compassion for others, implying that a criminal record equates to a lesser right to life or a lesser value of life, picking fights, using derogatory language towards those who have different views and beliefs, and to put it bluntly, being poor ambassadors of Christ in the name of defending their country, their politics, or their ideals. If we give up our witness to defend something that isn’t sacred, we have failed. As Christians we have to hold each other to a higher standard when we see this happening.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” –Matthew 5:13-16 NIV

If people can’t tell that we are followers of Christ by our words and actions, then something has to change. If we aren’t drawing people to us and making disciples because our words are getting in the way, something has to change. Heart postures have to change. Priorities need to be shifted. I want to pull out another Scripture to ponder:

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” –James 1:27 KJV

This tells us that pure religion is to visit those who are hurting, where they are hurting, while they are hurting. Not looking like the world, but bringing Kingdom into others’ lives. There are a lot of people hurting right now. Are we “moved with compassion” like Jesus was so many times in the gospels, to help people who are hurting, who are less fortunate, who may even be our “enemies”?

“So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy shown for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you. What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say “Goodbye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” – but then you don’t give that person and food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t good enough. Unless is produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now some may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds?” I will show you my faith by my good deeds. You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?” – James 2:12-20.

I say all of this to ask something of every single one of you. Please, please, please, have compassion. Please put the Kingdom before your country. Please let Christ, not your political association, reign on the throne of your heart. Look past labels like “Republican”, “Democrat”, “protester”, “snowflake”, “convict”, “law enforcement officer”, “mask-wearer”, “non mask-wearer”, and see people who are hurting. People who Jesus loves. Who He died for. More importantly than anything else, pray for people. Pray for your enemies. Your friends. Your opposing political party. Our government. Doctors. Protestors. Our law enforcement officers. The families of those who died at the hands of cops. The families of cops who died during riots. The families of people who have died of COVID. The people who don’t believe COVID is real. If you don’t know where to start, just sit alone with God about it. Romans 8:26-27 says that “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” Can you imagine how powerful the prayers that we allow the Holy Spirit to pray for us are?  Spend more time praying for the change that you wish to see than you spend posting about the change you wish to see. Let the love in your words and actions draw people in. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from St. Francis of Assisi. He said “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” Let’s be ambassadors for Christ. Let’s love our enemies and pray for the people who persecute us. Let’s be moved with compassion. Let’s hold each other to a higher standard.

Revival starts with us.

I pray that this message falls on soft hearts and open minds. If you disagreed with anything I said or feel the need to bring it up to me, please do! I love open discourse and my messages are always open.

Blessings!

-Nicole