Compassion Heals More than Your Heart
By Suzi KorsakFebruary 27, 2010
Sometimes it is a new perspective that gives us the light we need to heal old hurts. It is compassion that heals not only our heart but the hearts of others around us.
I was at Monday Night Liturgy, at Saint Basil’s the other Monday night, we read the gospel of Matthew 25, where Jesus talks about "whenever you did it to the least of these, you did it to me", and Fr. Martin talked about how these people are our Jesus, not because of what they did, but because of what Jesus said. Whenever you do it to them, you do it to me....powerful words that now have new meaning. I've listened to many talks talking about visiting Jesus in prison, seeing Jesus when someone does something hurtful, just realizing if we can look in the face of another and look for Christ, even those that have done harm, we can open our hearts to compassion for ourselves, our brothers and sisters....and it hit me...I had my own revelation, this is what you have been trying to teach Margaret...right?...without using the bible. I Love Jesus, with a capital L, he is without sin, he is love, but he's telling us to spread the gospel, spread his love, and we can't do that without compassion for those that fall short. We all fall short, I sure would rather have mercy than justice...how about you? If God were about justice and not about mercy, this planet wouldn't exist. For lent I chose letting go of past hurts, I chose forgiveness for some grudges I've carried for many years. I choose opening my heart to learning true compassion for myself and others. You know, God listened...and for a minute I didn't think he did.
It was in the beginning of the process that I had a dream, a dream about Rick, my children’s father, and I was crying and yelling at him to tell me that he was sorry...you tell me your sorry! I yelled and I cried...and I showed up in my own dream, and said to myself..."Suzi, you're still trying to make him responsible for your feelings? After all these years? It's been 15 years?"....I knew that this would be my ulitimate lenten journey...and I realized I had held onto that pain, to fill up a piece of my heart so it didn't have to feel empty. Funny how we figure these things out. I just found out yesterday he's coming to see Liz, my daughter in Boston while we are there. I haven't seen him in some time and I thought, "Jesus, really? I am trying to move past this pain...." and he said back..."exactly" and I knew, and I really knew...I had to look at him as my Jesus....I had to let go of my bitterness, my anger, and open the space for Liz. I had to have compassion for the man, and as soon as I felt it I had compassion for myself and the pain of the past has moved through another layer. Forgiveness and compassion for another has nothing to do with condoning improper behavior, but we love them like Jesus, see their essence, their being before the ego took over, not to make excuses but to share God's love so that they might find him too. It's easy to love those that love us, and treat us well, it takes Jesus for us to spread love to the tougher places.
I listened to a song called "Love them Like Jesus" by Casting Crowns on the way from home last night...and I had a new view of seeing Jesus in those I have struggled with in my life. The picture of carrying them to Jesus. The only way I can carry anyone to Jesus, is to see Jesus in them, and compassion at once fills my heart. It is in this love and compassion that we can keep our hearts from becoming stone and hardened. It's not changing what we do, but how we view them that will help forgiveness become reality. It is the energy of forgiveness that will transform the world we live in. Jesus even in forgiveness of the woman caught in adultery was, 'go, and sin no more', he didn't say, "ah, it's okay...no problem", he's not asking us to do that...but to have the same compassion he had for that woman in her need of being most loved.
Now after, the surgery, Rick was there, love bloomed in the hospital room. Liz, was at once filled with the love her father was sending in her direction and he felt her love back in his direction. He even returned to help us to the car to take her home. I shudder to think of the love that might not have occurred had I not opened my heart to the healing. This is the first time in the 15 years since the divorce that I’ve seen them connect in a heart healing way. Go Inner Bonding! The planet heals one heart at a time, and it begins with our choice to stay in the loving intention to learn, to move with spirit toward love and compassion.
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Daily Inspiration
It is not always the person who shows you the easy path that is a friend. More often, it is the one who sees your way hard and travels it with you, and shares the meaning of its end.
By Dr. Erika Chopich