In the scriptures, compassion means literally “to suffer with.” It also means to show sympathy, pity, and mercy for another. The Savior demonstrated compassion towards the Nephites during his visit to them as recorded in 3 Nephi 17. After teaching the Nephites, he instructs them to go to their homes and ponder over what he had taught them:
(3Nephi 17:3) Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and aponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and bprepare your minds for the cmorrow, and I come unto you again.
4 But now I ago unto the Father, and also to bshow myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not clost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.
5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they wereain tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.
After seeing their tears, even though he knew that his absence would be but a short duration of time, he had compassion on them. (3 Nephi 17:6) And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled withacompassion towards you.
The next verses of scripture are some of the most beautiful passages contained in the scriptures. Jesus asks if there are any who are sick or lame or afflicted in any manner. And then he heals them. He heals them because his bowels are filled with compassion towards them.
To have compassion for another, requires charity--which is the pure love of Christ. Compassion is an important part of Christ-like love. It helps us to fulfill the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. It means that we mourn with those that mourn, that we comfort those that stand in need of comfort (Mosiah 18:9). When we have compassion for others, we replace criticism with love, and judgement with mercy. We share in the joys that others may experience, as well as the sorrows.
When I was in the sixth grade, I had the opportunity to go on an oceanography trip with other 6th grade students at my school who had also completed the oceanography program. The trip was an absolute blast, and I am so glad that I was able to make such fond memories. However, on one of the excursions, I found myself quite ill. We were out of the ocean doing some whale watching when I began to feel very sick. I also felt very alone because it was my first time being so far away from home. I remember not wanting to really tell anyone of my plight, though I'm not sure why. Instead, I went and huddled over in a corner away from everyone else on the boat and tried my hardest to blend into the boat's exterior. Moments passed, and then a boy came over to me and offered me a kind smile. This boy and I had had a bit of a falling out years previously (I know, how much of a falling out can grade school students have? Just ask any one of my family members about a boy named Gus Brown and they'll tell you). He sat down next to me and tried to get me to laugh; he also expressed concern over my illness and sat with me until I began to feel better. His compassion towards me, has left an impression on me even though years have since passed.
President Henry B. Eyring gives a great talk called, To Bind Up Their Wounds. In it, he states that when we pray to have compassion, the Lord will help us feel the compassion He has for others. He knows them perfectly. We don't know the trials that our brothers and sisters may be experiencing and it is human tendency to be impatient and rash. We can replace impatience with compassion, if we are vigilant. The world would have us believe that happiness comes when we selfishly strive after our own ambitions and do whatever is in our own best interest. However, the Lord knows that it is from serving others, and that it is by tending to the needs of those around us, that true joy comes. And, as we act on our compassion for others, as our charity toward others increases, the closer we become to being like Christ.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.” (Moroni 7 46-48).
And so it my goal to have more compassion. To give the benefit of the doubt. To replace judgement with love and mercy. To be easily amused over easily offended. To believe that most of mankind is trying to do their best, and that a little compassion can go a long way. Isn't that what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about anyway? It would be difficult to help others find their way to Christ, if I wasn't first striving to love them the way that Christ loves them.
"Without exception, those compassionate souls who feed the hungry, clothe the weary, and relieve the suffering of fellow beings exclaim, “I have never before felt more blessed, more rewarded, or so at peace.” A writer expressed the feeling:
I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind." (From Thomas S. Monson's Talk, Never Alone)
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