A Commitment to Compassion

For most Christians, this week is a week for reflection. In line with that practice, I am renewing my commitment to compassion. It is not easy, but nothing good and lasting ever comes easy, right?

It is hard to stay true to my commitment to be more compassionate. Sometimes, I am overcome with anger and I lose sight of treating others kindly. I am very much aware of this. There is always the danger of being swept away by negative emotions and I must ever be vigilant not to act upon them.

This is where physical exercise and expending energy helps me. The more I actively involve myself in doing something constructive, the less I am prone to resorting to hurtful and negative actions.

Self-awareness is key.

I’m always asking myself if what I am doing is because I care about the person, the situation or a need. It gets tiring, sometimes. But there are little blessings, and encouraging signposts that secretly and significantly mean some kind of improvement to me. The true value of patience and tolerance tempered with reason rises up to calm down my sometimes erratic heart.

I am nowhere near to removing anger or hatred or fear. But I know that they can be controlled and sometimes, they could be of value. Sometimes, these negative emotions motivate us to achieve a positive result, except that action springing from these motivations are not based on Love. Every little act of kindness matters.

I will just have to take it day by day, never forgetting that little jewel of an old Chinese proverb:
“Do good when you are able, and when you are unable, maintain goodwill”