Offer Compassion
A New Self, Clothed in Compassion
Paul wrote this letter to counter false teaching about Christ and Christian living that had infiltrated the early church. In Colossians 3:5–11, he exhorts believers to take off the “old self” — our sinful nature — and instructs them to “put on” a new life in Christ. That message continues in today’s passage.¹
Read
Colossians 3:12–14 (NIV)
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Reflect
What type of people does Paul say we are?
After we “take off” the old self and its sinful behavior, what are we to do?
We are holy and dearly loved by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to “clothe” ourselves with Christlike virtues: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness — all wrapped together in love.
These virtues form a bridge between us and others. Today, we focus on one in particular: compassion.
What Is Compassion?
The dictionary defines compassion as a “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.”² In the first century, compassion was tied to the “inward parts of the body,” or the bowels — then thought to be the seat of human emotion.³
In Paul’s use here, compassion refers to a “tender sympathy” or “heartfelt mercy.”⁴ And it’s a virtue that many mothers dispense in generous amounts — sometimes daily. But today, we reflect not only on the compassion moms give, but also the compassion we’re called to extend to them.
A Glimpse from Everyday Life
In our home, I'm the pushover — easily swayed by tears and smashed dreams. The kids (and even the dogs) have always known this about me. If someone needed something in the middle of the night, they came to me first.
So when our first mammal-pet, Cuddles the gerbil, died, all four of my children stampeded down the stairs, nearly running over my husband on their way to find me. He appeared in the bedroom doorway looking completely confused, as four wailing children piled on top of me. It was as if he were just a patch of fog on a dip in the road.
In that moment, only mom’s compassion would do.
Now think back:
When has your mother (or mother-figure) shown you compassion in a moment you’ll never forget?
What stands out about how she responded?
Respond
It’s easy to think of moms giving compassion, but how often do we think to offer compassion to them?
We forget sometimes that moms are finite human beings. We place (or inherit) expectations to be always available, self-sacrificing, nurturing, organized, productive — and emotionally present. That’s a heavy burden. For many of us, there's a “phantom mom” in our minds who haunts us with her perfection. She’s everything to everyone — but she’s not real.
The truth? Only God can be available all the time.
We moms cannot.
We are learning as we go, often overwhelmed by the weight of it all — like a four-year-old on training wheels ashamed that she’s not zipping around on a 10-speed bike.
Culture may say we can “have it all” and “do it all,” but that’s a lie. At the end of the day, most moms are simply doing the best they can — even through their own brokenness and weakness.
So yes, mothers need grace. But sometimes, they also need compassion.
For Personal Reflection
When was the last time you “stood in the shoes” of your mother or mother-in-law?
What were the circumstances?
How did extending compassion change your perception of her?
How did it impact your relationship?
Notes
1 Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).
2 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 938.
3 Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 682.