Compassion

We can be harsh critics at times.  When we are offended by the behavior of others we may tend to judge or label them or want to withdraw ourselves from them.  Our Father, on the other hand, is a person of understanding and compassion (com=with, passion=suffering).  He moves toward us in our weakness.  Why is that?  Because he remembers how we were made. 

We are described as being made of dust.  When you add water to dust you get clay.  Clay is a moldable substance.  When we were young we were shaped by our experiences some positive, some negative.  God remembers how we were formed.  He knows where we came from.  He remembers every moment of our lives.  He sees the imperfections of our parents as they raised us.  He sees the hurts and disappointments we faced.  He sees the frailness and weakness of our body type that predisposes us to sickness or weakness.  He understands how we were formed and so he has great compassion on us. He doesn’t condemn us but with deep sympathy, as a good Father, moves towards us and provides all that we need.

 As a father has compassion on his children, 

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;  

for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust. 

Psalms 103:13-14 (NIV)