Listen:
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” (Psalm 103:8)
Reflect:
‘What a beautiful description of a perfect father – how grateful we would be if we all had the experience of compassion and grace in our fathers, or male role models. How wonderful to not live in fear of a violent temper, but instead to know that we are loved abundantly. We may not have had this perfect earthly father, but look up, friends, we do have Him.
We have all this and more in our Heavenly Father.’What a beautiful description of a perfect father – how grateful we would be if we all had the experience of compassion and grace in our fathers, or male role models. How wonderful to not live in fear of a violent temper, but instead to know that we are loved abundantly. We may not have had this perfect earthly father, but look up, friends, we do have Him. We have all this and more in our Heavenly Father.
This brings to mind the constant discussion of nature versus nurture – do we become our parents and take on their characteristics, or are we more impacted by our environment, our friends our education? Of course it’s a mixture of both, but I’ve observed with age (and God’s grace) that I can choose God’s compassion over my parents’ prejudice, I can be more tolerant, forbearing with others, when in the past it was important for me to be right, I can be more loving. I still have to be right sometimes and I’m still influenced by my upbringing, but God has mellowed me.
I notice this when I am praying for others at church – God gives us His heart when we are doing His work. We may not get on particularly well with someone, we may even struggle with understanding their behaviour or lifestyle, but when they come in need, they are God’s beloved child and He can give us His compassion for them. I know I need to step out of myself and be in step with God in everyday life, not just when praying for others, but it’s a start.
Prayer of Response:
Father, grant us a heart of compassion for those around us. Show us how to live graciously, reflecting your abundant love within our community. Thank you for being the Father we need and for understanding us wholly and accepting us as we are. Help us be still before you as we draw closer to You. Amen.
Questions to Ponder:
- Can you be compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love to yourself every time you face a difficult situation?
- Next time you are out and about, can you practice looking at the people around you through God’s eyes of compassion and grace?
—Submitted by Lis Ho
Lis lives in Lyon, France, a recent empty nester, as her son is now at university in the Netherlands. Lis attended her first Lifesprings’ retreat in 2010 and was part of the LSM Lyon team. She is involved in the prayer ministry team at her church and has a heart for getting alongside women and healthy ageing. Her portfolio career includes portrait photography, teaching English as a foreign language and most recently, pilates. Her ‘word’ for this year is ‘wait’.
Feature photo by Lis Ho