Text: Acts 5-6
Demonstrating compassion gets complicated. We’re not sure exactly what to do, our motives may be questioned, others will take advantage of us, and people may not change and make better decisions. Situations requiring our compassion are almost always challenging and often involve difficult people. As we step into compassion, we need to be prepared for its “messiness.”
It was “messy” for the early Church as well: a couple lies about the money they give (Acts 5.1-11) and there’s a huge disagreement, ultimately racial in nature, over the distribution of aid (Acts 6.1-7). As Senior Teaching Pastor Jeff Manion reminded us, the early Church didn’t get it right all the time and neither will we. But we still do it, even if imperfectly.
Compassion can be exhausting and frustrating. It often won’t turn out the way we want. But that’s OK—God has it under control. Our responsibility is to reflect God in the process as we make loads lighter.
This leads to this week’s One Big Question . . . Who are you looking out for? If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. It’s the same question we asked last week. We think, if answered honestly, it’ll take more than a week to figure out. So take your time and prayerfully consider who you need to look out for, recognizing it could get complicated.
