Tired of or challenged by?

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I recently had an eye-opening discussion with someone who "has it all," at least by the world's standards. As I listened I heard concern, fear, frustration, anger, and helplessness in regard to the state of our world. But what captured me was that I saw each of those things in his eyes. I could almost touch the hopeless resignation before me. And my heart broke.


It was recently pointed out to me, through the vehicle of Mark Batterson's new book, Primal, that Jesus' admonition to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your sould and with all your mind and with all you strength (Mark 12:30) begins with the heart. Jesus does not instruction us to love Him with our mind first. No, that is called science. He asks us to love Him first with our heart. That's called compassion.


And so I am faced with the next step in my journey to love like Jesus loves. And like so often in the past I am confronted by questions. Am I going to continue to look around or through the people I see every day or am I going to begin to see them with eyes of compassion? Am I tired of or challenged by their struggles, fears, and failures? Am I going to love like Jesus loves? Am I?