Compassion VS Indifference

Compassion VS Indifference or Fear Consciously sharing in someone’s hurts out of love; and gently doing whatever is necessary to heal those hurts, remembering God’s compassion for you both, without thought of personal gain. 1 John 3:18

In your own words …

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Life’s Application

Life’s Application Silently, Lauren hugged a sobbing Cindy as she contemplated what to say. Now that was the question: what to say? Cindy had just poured out her heart to her. All the hurts, struggles, hopes, and ugliness that had accumulated and chose this moment to burst. It was a mess. And that was okay, Lauren totally got messes (maybe because she’s been in a few herself), but as usual is was confusing. A confusing mess. Who had heard of such a thing?! Lauren smiled. But, back to the question. Lauren could definitely relate to most of it. Should she tell Cindy about her own experience in these things? Lauren didn’t want to only talk about herself though, she wanted Cindy to know that she cared about her and yet at the same time let her know that she really did understand Cindy and her struggles. But then there was the fact that she couldn’t quite relate to all of it. She honestly had not been in some of Cindy’s situations before. Lauren thought she could give sounds advice perhaps, but did she have the right since she hadn’t experienced those things personally before? And did Cindy even want ‘advice or did she just need a shoulder to cry into? Aggh!

Apply it… Get out a sheet of paper and write on the first line ‘Dear Cindy’. Then, compose a letter with what you would say to Cindy in this situation. So, while you are doing that, let me offer my thoughts on the subject. One of the hardest things about compassion is that it isn’t very clear cut. Should you speak? Should you help? Would this comfort them or embarrass them or offend them? And I have not clear cut answer to give you except this: pray Ask yourself what Jesus would do. Use discernment and wisdom (God’s, not ours), but if you are in doubt examine yourself. If your intentions are out of love then all you can simply do it your best and trust God to guide you if saying something or not saying something or doing something or not doing something or… well, you get the picture. Simply obey God. Seek His direction. Now, in the story, Lauren’s problem was having so many things she could say or do, but what if you have the opposite problem. You don’t have any answers. Than just say that! I have been heard saying many times, “I don’t have an answer, but I understand” or if I don’t understand, “I’m here for you”. It sounds cheesy maybe, but the wording doesn’t matter. What really matters is if you are sincere. Are you willing to choose to put yourself in someone else’s pain. As Katie Davis says, ‘to sit with them, and know’? One more point is that compassion is often inconvenient and messy! But does that mean you don’t show it or feel it or live it? Someone once said, “Sin is messy, so people are messy, get over it, and get a mop!”

Letter from an Author

Letter from an Author Hey guys! I hope you are having a great start to the month of June. Throughout this month we’ve been having a little trouble getting our pages together, but overall we are, yet again, grateful for another edition of Th!nk and in fact a third year of it exactly. Yes, that’s right, it’s our third year anniversary and I can’t be more blown away by all the things we have done and how fast time has gone by. Throughout these three years a lot has changed. Our pages have more variety. Our layouts are a lot more organized. We’ve started using a lot more graphics. But most importantly, we as authors have changed. Personally I feel like my relationship with God has grown more with using my skill of writing to write about Him. Also, Th!nk has helped me with my organization, time management, and computer skills. Along with me are the other authors that I couldn’t do this without. Even though I’ve only met about half of them face to face, I enjoy spending time doing Th!nk with them and seeing the different skills they bring. So this month’s character trait is compassion. Just like every month, by writing and researching for pages I learn so much and get a better understanding of what it means. Compassion is a trait that I’m not very familiar with. Personally it just sounds like another word that means something along the line of showing love to others, but compassion isn’t just that. Compassion is feeling sorry and sympathetic for others and wanting to help them. It’s similar to the word companion which I think is cool. With this new edition of Th!nk I hope we can do something for you. Whether it’s inspire you, encourage you, help you in your faith, or maybe just provide you with a fun little thing to read. These past three years have been so much fun and I can’t wait for many more! -Ainsley   *To receive the full magazine, subscribe for free by emailing us at thinkauthors@gmail.com

Book Look

Photo by adamr and freedidgitalphotos.net

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis is both a happy and sad book. Katie Davis sacrifices much, but gains more in the end. Her last year of high school Katie goes on a mission trip to Uganda over Christmas break… and falls in love with it. School finishes and she decides to postpone college for a year and returns to Uganda. During that one year she adopts eight girls. When the year is up Katie is faced with a tough decision… should she continue the work she thinks God has called her to? Or stop for school, leaving her girls behind, and then return?