My dear friend Tracy really sees the poetry of life, she seeks after Wisdom and she loves the Lord.  I am so glad she shares her heart with us.  Won’t you make her feel welcome by posting a comment below?

I’d found “Lucy” to be a kind, considerate, and selfless person. It was her socially awkward nature that prompted me to avoid her. She made me feel uncomfortable.  Suddenly, she ceased attending our moms’ meetings. I didn’t inquire. Somehow it felt fine without her there. One day I discovered why she had disappeared. Brain tumor.

Feeling the pain of this seemed too much to bear, for a thoughtless soul such as mine. I despised her illness, but I refused to hurt.

What does our Creator say about compassion?

John, in 1 John 3:17, describes it as originating from the love of God, “But whoso hath this world’s good and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwell the love of God in him?” 

In Greek, the word “bowels” is splagchnon. This word was used because it was believed that your bowels were where your most aggressive passions resided. In Hebrew, many words were used to convey the idea that feeling came from the gut, but the word racham identified the bowels, or the womb, as a source of kindness and mercy.

Basically, we are speaking of a figure of speech meaning, “gut-wrenching” emotion. The reference to “bowels of compassion” is used many times in the both the Old and New Testaments and, when used in reference to Jesus Himself, He acts on His feelings.

Fear and pride dispelled my willingness to offer compassion to “Lucy”. I never reached out. I never saw her again, nor can I recall her real name. I hope she survived…she had a sweet little boy to raise. In Psalm 119:32, David asked God for an enlarged heart. As I contemplate the past, I can see where God has been faithful: He continues enlarging my heart. Praise Him! I can see that I remain His project, but I am grateful

Compassion connects the eye with our hands (we see and do!) directly through the gut/heart. By relinquishing control and permitting myself to hurt, I now find that I can serve (this is doing) to alleviate the pain. Just today, an acquaintance mentioned her paralyzing headaches. She has four small children and is miserable while waiting for answers. Pain. I felt gut-wrenching, heart pain for my sister in Christ. I found myself researching ways to help her and assembling a team to serve her. That’s God! He is transforming a critical , hurt-hating wretch like me.

Tell me friend, where is God enlarging your heart?