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Presented by Lauren Stibgen
Think about the last time you really wanted someone to help you or a friend to commiserate with. You just needed someone to see your need, to reach out, and to show you well, compassion. If you are anything like me, I deploy what many would call a resilience strategy for my life so these moments when I am truly low or even physically hurting and I want someone to come alongside me are few and far between. I have met so many women like this—especially in the executive ranks. Perhaps as my friend Catherine Gates would say in her book, The Confidence Cornerstone, we have bought into a belief system in our culture that causes us as women to go it alone. Afraid of seeming vulnerable, sometimes, even when we really need it, we don’t seek or receive compassion from others well at all.[1]
I know one woman in the Bible who didn’t want compassion. In fact, in her sorrow, she wanted to go it alone. Naomi. Most of you know this story. Naomi and her husband, Elimelech flee to Moab with their two sons. The sons take foreign wives. Eventually, the husband and both sons die leaving Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah (not Oprah) widowed and alone. Naomi decides it is time to head back to Judah. In Ruth 1:8 Naomi tells her daughters-in-law, Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me.
Maybe she was showing compassion and gratitude for these women. We know Orpah returns to Moab and Ruth insists on going along with the widowed Naomi. We then see Naomi is bitter; she isn’t receiving the compassion Ruth is providing by staying with her and returning to a foreign land where she may not even be welcomed culturally. In Ruth 1: 20-21, we see Naomi asking to be called Mara or bitter because she went away full and returned empty. She was blind to receiving compassion from Ruth, instead focusing on her anger.
Faithful, Ruth redeems Naomi’s family lineage by being obedient and humble—ultimately marrying Boaz. In the end, God was compassionate on these women.
We are not made to do life alone. In fact, we see this as a command over and over in Scripture. We need compassion from others in our life, but most of all we need the compassion of Jesus Christ over our lives.
When we are overburdened, Jesus calls us to him.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
He offers us peace.
Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (John 14:27).
He tells us to abide with him.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me (John 15:4).
To me, the most compassionate part of all of this is knowing Jesus Christ died on the cross to bear my sins. This is the only way I have access to a Savior who carries my burdens, offers me peace, and helps me bear fruit if I am abiding with him.
Jesus was compassionate to death.
God has always wanted us to have access to his compassion. We see this repeatedly in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 30:18 states: Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice.
Again, in Isaiah 49:13: Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth, burst into song you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
God loves us as his children. Psalm 103:13 states: As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
The ultimate compassion from God IS Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
He loves me this much. He loves you this much.
Compassion is defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary as “the sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.”
God has and has always had sympathetic pity and concern for SIN. He doesn’t want me to perish. He wants me redeemed to eternal life with Jesus Christ in heaven. He wants to show this compassion to you too. If you haven’t placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, my sincere prayer is that you are listening today and want to learn more. The Christian Working Woman has resources for you, and our team is here to pray with you. You can visit our website at christianworkingwoman.org or call 630.462.0552.
Let’s think again about Naomi. God didn’t want her to be alone. He sent Ruth in her compassion to come alongside her in her grief and anger.
In Romans 12:15 we are called to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. Ruth is a terrific example of this type of compassion.
Until a few years ago, I didn’t realize how important it was that I stopped being so resilient and worked on shedding the BS (belief systems) engrained in me—going it alone and not relying on other women for support or compassion. As a Christian working woman finding community that shares your values and helps you grow in your relationship with Jesus is so important. To be honest, it seemed elusive. I didn’t quite seem to fit into groups at church or in mom groups that met during youth group. I wondered if there were other Christian working women like me who needed community and support.
The internet answered a resounding YES! There are many groups formed for Christian working women. You just need to find what works for you. Many of these ministries focus on meeting women where they are at—balancing work and home life. Zoom and other technologies have helped me connect and develop deep relationships with women all over the world!
Those in ministry with me at The Christian Working Woman are like family to me. And the women I pray with weekly from a secular executive women’s network have shown me deep compassion. They offer me prayer when I don’t even know I need it.
I have shared the moments when I am feeling low and the moments when my physical body hurts. I can be authentic, and I am no longer bound by the belief system that I need to do this alone.
Some of these women knew how I had been struggling at work to feel connected and valued. Knowing I wasn’t alone in these feelings was truly good enough, but this group of women sent me a beautiful video montage of gratitude for my birthday. I felt so loved and valued by them. Their compassion for my known sadness created such a beautiful work in them. They glorified God and reminded me that God loved me first!
Friendship and being in community with other believers is found throughout God’s Word. For those who know Jesus as their Savior, we are commanded to: Love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:12-13).
When someone is compassionate toward me, it shows their love and sincere care for my needs. Jesus wants us to love others as he has loved us. He wants us to love our fellow Christian brothers and sisters and those who don’t know him. If we love like Jesus, we can also show compassion right when others need it.
During this season of Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on the compassion I have received, first from God and next from sisters in Christ. How can I show gratitude for the compassion shown to me?
One of the most important pieces of my walk with God is making sure people know about my faith and hope in Jesus. Finding moments to be bold and share my faith at work helps me to bring glory to God for how he cares for me both in the good times and the times that are difficult. First Peter 3:15 tells us to: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. Moments when I am the recipient of compassion, especially at work, can give me a moment to share a simple, “Wow, God is so good to send you to me as a colleague!”
Even better, moments where you show compassion to someone at work can help you shine the light of Christ to someone in deep need. Your acts of compassion to a colleague can spark questions about why you are choosing to respond in a way that may seem very different than what they have experienced in the past. And you have a moment to let them know why! Spreading the gospel is a command from Jesus. this is why we hear this often referred to as the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19 exhorts the most compassionate thing we can do as believers: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
Another very important way I show God I am filled with gratitude for his compassion is by repenting of my sin. Yes, my faith in Jesus is a blessed assurance that I am forgiven of my sinful nature, but while I am here on earth I still sin. Or, as it says in Romans 2:4: Do [I] show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is to lead me to repentance? When I stop to think about the times I have desired compassion from others, especially with hurt feelings, it is when my eyes have not been so firmly fixed on God. The world has crept in and is getting to me!
Knowing this, another way to show my gratitude to the Lord is by making him first each day. Setting aside time before I run into the busyness of the day helps me to orient my day to see people and problems the way he does! In addition to being in the Word on my own, Hebrews 10:25 states we should not neglect our meeting together as some people do but encourage one another. Worshiping God in church is pleasing to him because we raise our voices in praise and prayer to his name, and because he knows it is a space we can receive encouragement from other believers in our walk.
Speaking of encouraging other believers, I mentioned how important it is not to walk this life alone. The women I am in community with are such a critical part of my faith journey so how can I show them gratitude?
With a busy schedule, especially during the holiday season and year end, I take an approach of writing names in my calendar every week. With each name comes an intention of showing them I am thankful for their role in my life. It can be something as simple as a text letting them know I am thinking of them, or sometimes I send a handwritten note in the mail. I also keep small things to send in the mail that include Bible verses I love that remind me of them.
While I pray with women in community each week, I am also intentional about praying one on one with others as well. For the women who are close geographically, I love to meet for a cup of coffee!
This season has helped me realize I need to be better at receiving compassion from God and others and making sure I reflect my sincere thankfulness for the priceless gift that compassion is in my life!
I hope this has given you some time to reflect upon the goodness of God in his truly deep compassion for us! I also hope you join like-minded women in community here at The Christian Working Woman.
[1] Gates, C. (2020). The Confidence Cornerstone. Author Academy Elite .