Cultivating a Heart of Compassion for KidsSample

Day 4: Compassion in Forgiveness

The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standards.” That means every person has done something that they shouldn’t have done. Every person, that is, except for Jesus. He never sinned. Yet Jesus paid the price by dying on the cross for each one of our sins. It’s an incredible gift that He has given us and all we must do is ask Him to forgive us of our sin and choose to live for Him. It’s nothing we can earn, but it is a gift we have a choice to accept and is freely given.

In our Bible reading today we are looking at the story of a woman who went to Jesus and knelt before Him. She took an expensive alabaster jar filled with perfume to put on His feet and, with her tears and hair, began to wash Jesus’ feet.

Could you imagine sitting there in that moment and seeing this lady come to Jesus, with probably the most expensive thing she owned and giving it all to Jesus. In that moment Jesus did something so powerful. He told the lady, “Your sins are forgiven.” He tells her in verse 50, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

She was forgiven!! She was free from her sins because of the compassion Jesus showed her. We are forgiven of our sins because of the compassion that Jesus shows us. We don’t deserve it and yet He freely gives it to us.

Maybe there is someone in your life who has hurt you or done something to you and it hurt. You have a choice to forgive that person or hold onto the pain and hurt and not forgive them. When you hold onto the pain and hurt it ends up turning into bitterness and anger toward that person. Jesus shows us what happens when we offer compassion in forgiveness. We find freedom.

Our Compassion Challenge today is to pause for a moment and think of someone in your life who has hurt you and you have not forgiven and you are holding onto the hurt. Ask God to help you forgive that person. Maybe you hurt someone, and you need to ask for forgiveness. Take a step of action and ask that person to forgive you.

Dear God, help us choose to show compassion by forgiving those who have hurt us. God, help us also be willing to ask for forgiveness from the things we have done that may have hurt others. Amen.