Healing Family Relationships Through CompassionSample

Have you had nights of tossing and turning with anxiety? Have you woken up with your heart racing, overwhelmed by the conflicts and hurt in your family? Consider Psalm 56:8. The Lord is with you! Not one of your "tossings" escapes His attention. The second part of the verse is a metaphor, as David imagines the Lord putting his tears in a bottle. It is a picture of deep compassion.

Jesus, as God's Son, perfectly reflects the Father's compassion. In Matthew 9, He looks out at a crowd of lost, sinful souls, and His heart is filled with compassion because they are “sheep without a shepherd.”

As Christ sees us struggling with sin and falling into temptation, He sympathizes with us. He does not excuse our sin, but He does have compassion for us as we struggle through our failures. A great example is Romans 5:8, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Sometimes, it is hard to view our family members with godly compassion. It requires humility, grace, and courage. Yet, as we strive to live as Jesus did, we can see the biblical call to extend compassion, even when it might be undeserved.

Reflection Question: How might seeing your family members through the compassionate eyes of Jesus change how you interact with them?