3 Ways to Practice Christian Compassion Today

In reality, everything was always political. The word politics means public opinion or public discourse. No matter what you watch, read, or hear, the media we consume is always expressing an opinion.

The issue today is that so much of daily life has become overtly political. You don’t have to ask, people display their opinions through their titles, tattoos, clothes, flags, and even hair color.

The more political we’ve become as a society, the less compassionate we’ve allowed ourselves to be. When we’re political, oftentimes our goal is to prove ourselves right and our opponents wrong. Hard not to feel that way when you’re discussing transgenderism in schools or questioning whether or not going to war with Russia is wise.

Yet, as the discourse rages on, we need a vital reminder, a reminder to be compassionate. This powerful word will work wonders in our ability to communicate and relate to each other, especially as Christians. But what exactly does this word mean?

What Is Christian Compassion?

Christian compassion can be summed up in one verse:

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

Addictions. Worries. Fears. No matter the burden, Scripture calls us to serve one another wherever we struggle. The prefix com- means with or together. Think company or community. One definition of passion means suffering. Combined, compassion means suffering together.

The law of Christ refers to the second greatest commandment, to love others in the same way that we want to be loved.

When God calls us to show compassion, He does not specify who. We’d prefer family and friends, but Christian compassion is for everyone we come across. Everyone. We naturally give more to those we know best, but this shouldn’t preclude us from loving strangers, coworkers, or neighbors. Not everyone was a friend of Jesus, but He showed compassion to all.

With a definition in mind, we can take steps toward enacting more compassion in our day-to-day lives.

Here are 3 ways to practice compassion:

1. Forgive

“For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

Cancel culture gets its fuel through the sheer number of mistakes and sins from our past. Considering we’re all sinners, there’s no shortage of either (Romans 3:23). In this modern phenomenon, there’s no hope for change, no redemption, no forgiveness. Compassion, however, does offer forgiveness with the hope of change for the future.

When people offend us, no matter how terrible the act, we need to leave room in our hearts to forgive. That’s what Scripture commands. This does not mean the relationship continues or that we don’t enact boundaries. What forgiveness means is not wielding a past offense like a bat, swinging at the other person every chance you get. Forgiveness means letting go, not actively punishing.

2. Practice Accountability

“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20)

Accountability is a two-way street that deals with acknowledging people for their good and their bad, and likewise, receiving the same treatment. Today, too many of us are eager to call out the other side for sin, whilst ignoring our own flaws.

Back in 2020, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who advocated for lockdown measures and mask-wearing was caught without a mask inside a hair salon. After being called out for her hypocrisy she blamed the shop, not herself.

Former President Trump is known for his blunt, often brutal way of speaking, but is not known for apologizing for his mistakes or even the people he’s offended.

We all have our reasons for doing things, but if we ever hope to get accountability from others, we need to practice this too. Our society, and our culture, could become much more cordial if we would all practice the accountability we preached.

3. Listen

“Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation.” (James 1:9)

Do people call you a good listener? Not after you ask, but on their own accord? Good listeners have a knack for making people feel seen and understood. They offer better responses than those who don’t listen.

Today, in our amalgamation of politics, having a discourse about faith, transgenderism, immigration – all of this requires good listening. If no one’s heard, then no one gets understood. If no one gets understood, then there is no way to solve our differences through words.

We shouldn’t just claim to be open for conversation. Instead, we should put our money where our mouth is, or in this case, replace our mouth with our ears.

A Reminder to Be Compassionate Today

Like any virtue, compassion is not easy to maintain, nor does it come overnight. A rape victim may not naturally feel compassion toward his assailant. An abused daughter may not feel compassion toward her parents. Compassion doesn’t have to be felt naturally in order to be developed. The same is true for those of us immersed in politics, which is just about everyone now.

We can name-call, insult, and ignore, but none of these solves the underlying problems. What will move us in the right direction, is a hefty dose of compassion.

I’ve concluded that both liberals and conservatives have at least one issue in common – they’re selfish. Conservatives exhibit selfishness by being apathetic to things that don’t relate to them. Hence, the LGBTQ influence in our society, especially with the youth. Liberals are selfish in the parental sense, knowing what’s best for you whether or not you like it. Hence, political messaging shoved in our faces with every Hollywood movie.

Christian compassion helps us avoid both possibilities. If compassion means to suffer with others, then we must partake in struggles that don’t just affect us. Yet likewise, we don’t adopt a parental attitude toward someone just because we think we know more. We may not!

Proper compassion should drive us not to affirm everything under the sun, but to love people the way we want to be loved. We want to be called out for sin. Do so unto others. We want respect. Do so unto others. We desire forgiveness. Do so unto others.

With some more compassion, maybe we can turn our present culture around.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/ThitareeSarmkasat  

Aaron D'Anthony Brown is a freelance writer, hip-hop dance teacher, and visual artist, living in Virginia. He currently contributes work to iBelieve, Crosswalk, and supports various clients through the platform Upwork. He's an outside-the-box thinker with a penchant for challenging the status quo. Check out his short story “Serenity.”