Everyone Needs Compassion

I met someone today over lunch. To be honest, I didn't have very good vibes about him/her from the beginning. Why? I wasn't sure, but I've learnt to listen to my intuition and take extra caution... especially when I've prayed and the Holy Spirit seems to be telling me to be careful.

So anyway, over lunch, I got to listen to him share, and it was a nice chat. And interestingly, the conversation turned towards our dreams and even about his being rejected by a girl he liked. Then, he invited me to join him in his online marketing work.

However, I knew that this line of work had involvements in certain services e.g. social escorts, that I didn't want to do. But besides the social escorts part, there were other services e.g. pet owners. But thought about it, and it's not in line with what I had in mind for my career plan - write screenplays and scripts and stories, while doing websites on the side. It just didn't seem to be in line with what the Lord had planned for me. Perhaps it's because of the Spirit telling me not to be unequally yoked too.

So I gently declined but firmly. He was rather disappointed, actually. Then after we were done and he had gone off, he called me to tell me (nicely in a way) that he had found other web developers to do the projects that he had in mind. I pondered a while about why he had said that. And I guess I felt a bit bad actually.

But I felt the gentle reassurance of the Holy Spirit, and very interestingly, I had read Romans 13 and 14 about not going against my conscience, and my personal responsibility towards God. Not only so, I think it was a good time of learning to be shrewd, protecting myself and being careful, and yet loving and listening to the person...

I am sure the Holy Spirit was telling me to love the person as Jesus would love him. Though I may have to disagree with the person, and even say no directly... that shouldn't change the way I see the value of the person - worth dying for.

Somehow, I just felt a burst of compassion when I saw him being disappointed. I'm not sure why... I think the Spirit had given me a prophetic insight into the reasons for his disappointment, and the deeper values that caused him to be disappointed... and all the fears, insecurities, hopes, aspirations and dreams, and desire to bless his mother, and his ambitions and so on...

Then this passage came to mind:

17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

I've always wondered what did Jesus see when He looked at the rich young man. Did He see the rich young man's past? Perhaps the day the young man was first born into the world, with a silver spoon... perhaps all the riches of the world he had, yet the aching emptiness in his heart... the longing to be right with God, yet the lack of assurance... all the joys and sorrows and human hopes and dreams and futures and wishes and plans and ambitions and despairs and sins and failures and brokenness and so on...

I think I had a deeper insight today into the aching compassion of Jesus. That He loves all the people of the world, despite their sins and failures. So often the kingdom of heaven is so near... but for one thing. So close, and yet so far. How His guts must ache for all the people who haven't found peace in Him yet.

Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.