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Isaiah 49:15 plays on these two words to describe how God's compassion for His people exceeds that of a new mother: "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you." What mother can forget her newborn child and not do everything in her power to meet their needs? How much more does God have motherly compassion for His children, continually pursuing the rebellious Israelites and being willing to even step into humanity in order to meet our greatest need: right relation- ship with Him. Yes, in the incarnation, compassion takes on flesh and bones, fully embodied and expressed as Jesus sees the needs of the people around Him and is moved to action. He heals the sick, feeds the hungry, and sets the captives free. In compassion, He mourns the death of his friend Lazarus and grieves for the waywardness of Jerusalem. Compassion is often defined as both an awareness of others' distress along with a drive to ease it. In the ultimate act of compassion, Jesus takes in His body the distress of the whole world. He feels it deep in His gut, crying out to God and sweating anguished drops of blood. But because God has compassion for the world, Jesus comes to die. His death heals all that sorrows. The empty tomb makes a way for all that is lost. Jesus doesn't just desire to alleviate our distress, He does alleviate our stress. Yes, compassion by its very definition cannot be pas- sive. Compassion always leads to action. So what happens when we experience "compas- sion fatigue"? Rather than being moved to action, we are instead immobilized by apathy and indifference. Compassion fatigue can happen when we take on the emotional burden of someone else's agony and feel overwhelmed by the immense need or deep broken- ness. It's a sense of hopelessness and uncertainty of how we could do anything to make a real differ- ence. And it's common among people who dedicate their life to caring for others—the kind of life God calls us to live. When we experience compassion fatigue, we forget who is in control and what He is capable of. We feel the weight of suffering in our gut and are weighed down. We become heavy and sedentary. Looking through our own eyes and assessing our own strength, things seem beyond repair. Suffering and injustice no longer move us to help. Instead, the next news story reinforces the narrative we already know so well: Bad things happen and as soon as we try to help with one travesty, another one occurs. And yet Scripture tells us over and over that God is compassionate. He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. So, we put on the shoulders of God the things we cannot carry. We turn compassion into lament (see pg. 6) and cry out to God, "How long?" We hold God to His character and to His promises. Because when God sees suffering in the world, He is not fatigued. He listens to every groan and feels every teardrop. He is moved to action—through His Spirit and through us. Interestingly, the word compassion often appears alongside another attribute of God: graciousness. Did you catch it in Exodus 34:6? It appears again in Psalm 103:8: "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love." Check out any number of references: 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:17, 31; Psalm 86:16; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2. The combination of compassion and grace buoys us as followers of Jesus just as it did the Israelites. In compassion, God understands both our yearning and fatigue. In grace, He forgives our disobedience, distrust, and apathy. And as we live in light of God's gracious compassion for us, we're refreshed to have compassion for others. For the child, the employee, the driver, and anyone else God places around you to show what kind of God we follow: The Lord, the Lord, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Father, do not delay in showing compas- sion. Display Your gut-felt love to us and all people, relieving all distress. • When God sees suffering in the world, He is not fatigued. He listens to every groan and feels every teardrop. He is moved to action— through His Spirit and through us. Lutheran Life 15

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