People mean the most to God, and this isn’t a difficult truth to prove. He tells us in Genesis 1:27 that He created human beings in His very own image. He adopted us into His family through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Romans 8:29(NLT) declares, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Heavenly Father gave us a destiny long before we entered our mothers’ wombs. He knew we would be His children and a part of His family. He chose us to be His set-apart people, and this is a really important truth to understand. Of all the dimensions, galaxies, and planets in His vast and never-ending universe, God has given only human beings the distinction of being His children.
1Thessalonians 5:5(NLT) teaches us, “For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.” When we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives, we made a commitment to be led by him in everything we do. He is Lord, and everything he does is done through God’s love. As God’s children of light, it stands to reason that we must follow the example of Christ. We must be committed to live from the abundance of God’s love. This means that our actions, attitudes, thoughts, and conversation are pleasing to God. It means that we are doing things that elevate and not tear down. Ephesians 4:29(NLT) instructs, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
Relationships are also very important to God, and therefore, they must be important to us. Relationships hold up a mirror and reflect aspects of our personhood that are loving and kind. This mirror also shows us attributes and attitudes that are going in the opposite direction of God’s love. To the extent this is happening, we must address it. Some of us underestimate the damage we’re causing to ourselves when life is revealing we need to grow and release certain things, and we are refusing to do it. When this is our posture, blessings are blocked because, consciously or not, we are not allowing them in.
Some of us haven’t developed a reservoir of compassion and thoughtfulness, and when we talk to people, they are not left with a lingering impression of God’s love. As God’s children, we need empathy, and some would argue that empathy goes a bit deeper than sympathy. When a person we know loses a loved one, we feel for them. We’re sorry for their loss and typically communicate this to them verbally or in the form of a card. We want them to know that we’re thinking of them and that they are in our prayers. Empathy is different. It’s understanding what the person is feeling to the point of sharing their feelings, and whether we know it or not, this has a powerful impact on them.
The purpose of communication is to make a connection with a person. This is meaningful to being helpful. Sometimes we’re so focused on ourselves or on other things that we’re not focusing on the person that really needs our attention. We might not be listening to them audibly or spiritually. This happens a lot with individuals that believe themselves to be seasoned veterans in God’s Word. They have lots of wisdom to dole out, but very little compassion. The words they speak may not land because their posture is one of wanting to be right rather than actually hearing and resonating with the pain and suffering of the person they should be ministering to.
Ephesians 4:32(NLT) instructs, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Our Lord and Savior had great heart and tremendous compassion for others. His love for them comes from the Father, and the same love is in us through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:1-2(NLT) commands us to, “1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” This is our call! We are called to imitate God in our every deed, word, thought, and behavior. We are to do this because we represent Christ. We are his ambassadors, and we have a responsibility to be different than the world and treat people with the same level of compassion and love that Christ would. We must love others through him!
There is no doubt that as believers in Christ, we must practice seeing every person as special and unique. Galatians 6:10(NLT) tells us, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” This should always be our aim. So much of our daily communication is about facts and information that don’t involve emotions, but when a situation calls for more than this, we must answer this call in the way of Christ.
The art of compassionate communication rests within our desire to walk in the Spirit and to heed the Spirit’s voice and directives. As we grow in Christ, our well of compassion and gratitude will undoubtedly deepen. If life holds up a mirror that reflects that our well isn’t quite deep enough just yet, we need to pray about this. Compassionate communication is useful to ministering God’s love to others, and it is essential for cultivating strong bonds, especially in marriage. Do yourself the greatest service, as the Apostle Paul prayed in Philippians 1:9, pray that your love will overflow more and more. As it does you will grow in knowledge and understanding, and you will be filled with the righteous character that helps you communicate and listen with compassion. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Art of Compassionate Communication” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!