Cultivating a Heart of CompassionSample

Day 3: Compassion in Service

Have you ever met someone always ready to help others? They are the kind of person who stops eating their dinner to refill everyone’s glasses or jumps at the opportunity to assist anyone in need. When I think of someone with a servant’s heart, I think of my mom. My mom volunteers her time every week at a food bank and willingly switches up her schedule to help those in need.

The greatest example of servanthood we have is Jesus. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus loves people by serving them. John 13 gives us a striking example of Jesus’ willingness to serve. Jesus and His disciples were preparing to eat the Passover meal. But before the meal, Jesus got up, put a towel around His waist, and began to wash and dry His disciples’ feet. Usually, the washing of the feet was done by a servant or someone of lower social status when a guest entered the home of his host. Jesus takes on the role of a servant by washing the disciples’ feet.

Jesus tells the disciples after washing their feet, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:14–15). Does this mean we need to go around washing everyone’s feet? No! But what it does mean is that we too are to be servants. Servanthood looks like taking time to see the needs of those around us and responding to those needs. Servanthood looks like inconveniencing ourselves for others.

Showing compassion to the world will involve serving others. Maybe for you, it will look like visiting an elderly neighbor who lives alone, joining a serve team at your church, or helping a mom watch her kids. Servants are always looking for ways to help and bless those around them. Servants embrace the chance to serve!

When was the last time you recognized a need around you and took action to meet it? Who around you can you serve this week?