but how does one show compassion with those to whom seek nothing but vengeance or revenge against you and continue to burden your life? What is missing in my life to overcome this? a humble servant should not feel this way should he?
Well, assuming that vengeance or revenge is rooted in suffering, I would guess the "burden" on your life is the suffering they are causing you.
If by "overcome this" you mean "help the person deal with their suffering" then it sounds like you are already being compassionate, via the definition I set forth in the sermon and the JWJ segment.
If however this is instead feelings of ill will towards another person (that the humble servant, rightly so, should feel conviction over) instead of love, just from your comment I hope to offer some thoughts:
1.) Feelings of vengeance or revenge often come from being wronged. Have you wronged this person? Regardless of whether you feel you have or haven't (or if you've already tried to set things right) we take our cue from Christ. His response to those who felt wronged by him was love, even if those people didn't understand it.
2.) Is there a point where we stop being compassionate because doing so would be "impractical"?
3.) What way should you not be feeling? Because I think compassion is essentially about feeling for/with those who suffer. So yeah, I guess Christians should have a level of sensitivity that could be considered... difficult to bear.
but how does one show compassion with those to whom seek nothing but vengeance or revenge against you and continue to burden your life? What is missing in my life to overcome this? a humble servant should not feel this way should he?
ReplyDeleteWell, assuming that vengeance or revenge is rooted in suffering, I would guess the "burden" on your life is the suffering they are causing you.
ReplyDeleteIf by "overcome this" you mean "help the person deal with their suffering" then it sounds like you are already being compassionate, via the definition I set forth in the sermon and the JWJ segment.
If however this is instead feelings of ill will towards another person (that the humble servant, rightly so, should feel conviction over) instead of love, just from your comment I hope to offer some thoughts:
1.) Feelings of vengeance or revenge often come from being wronged. Have you wronged this person? Regardless of whether you feel you have or haven't (or if you've already tried to set things right) we take our cue from Christ. His response to those who felt wronged by him was love, even if those people didn't understand it.
2.) Is there a point where we stop being compassionate because doing so would be "impractical"?
3.) What way should you not be feeling? Because I think compassion is essentially about feeling for/with those who suffer. So yeah, I guess Christians should have a level of sensitivity that could be considered... difficult to bear.