Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a new day of a new week, and it is already off to a spectacular start as I watched the Living God wake up His world. Morning Time with the One who died for me is the most Important part of my day – and the Front Porch is the Sanctuary for my Soul. Being inspired by the beauty around me is one thing, being inspired to take Action and to walk in Truth and Love after I leave the front porch (no matter what I feel or encounter) is an entirely different story. So, I met with the One Who died for me with a Heart anticipating Comfort, and I opened my Instruction Manual looking for Peace. It didn’t take long for the God of all Creation to Speak to me with the gentleness of a Father, and before you know it, I was feeling Strong and Safe all over again. Suffering is something God uses to draw His people nearer, and Suffering is where we Grow. I’ve been experiencing some suffering of my own lately – but that’s just a minor bump in the road for me. The greatest suffering I experience as a Child of the Living God is the suffering I see all around me. So, if I want to Minister the way He calls for ALL of us to, then I need to spend more time on ME than anything or anyone else. Isn’t that the way you see it, too?

It’s amazing to see how God can Multiply everything on the planet…even things like Compassion and Love when we let Him. If we genuinely desire to have a Heart like His…to “love your neighbor as yourself”…to “hate the sin but love the sinner”…it’s not always an easy Journey. Sometimes we need to work on our own Hearts to have the supernatural ability to pull this off, and sometimes we have to deal with the suffering that comes by way of Compassion. Jesus is the Perfect definition of Compassion – from the way He lived to the way He died. The Bible says He was “moved with compassion,” which literally means that He suffered physically over the pain and suffering of another. Every single time Jesus was overcome with Compassion, He took Action to fill the need and to Minister to the Heart. It doesn’t take a genius to see the lack of Compassion in a suffering world these days, as so many Children of God are dwelling on the “bad” without sharing the Good. But suffering always has a Purpose and it can always work together for Good…FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM and are called according to His Purpose.”

They say to “be careful what you wish for,” but we should be careful what we pray for, too! If we ask the Author and Perfector of our Faith to fill us with Christ-like Compassion for others, He will. But that’s not an easy Journey either because He’ll do whatever He needs to do to Tenderize the Heart to a point where Compassion for others overflows. After He’s taken us to the Spiritual Woodshed and He Refined the Heart for the Journey, THEN it becomes impossible NOT to feel the suffering of others. When we see someone destined for Hell, we SPEAK UP about Jesus! When we see someone consumed with hate, we show them Love. When we see a thief desperate for tangible things, we give them the shirt off our backs. When someone goes against us, we turn the other cheek. When we see someone determined to cause dissension, we Speak words that can calm any storm. When we see someone sewing discord, we Love them enough to tell the Truth. We can’t do any of these things on our own – and we can’t Love the way He instructs us to Love without FIRST being tenderized through our OWN suffering and THEN determining to have a Heart like His.

Our own suffering is the Key to being sensitive and Compassionate over the suffering of others, and Compassion is the Key to our story of Hope.

I’ve got a little suffering going on in my life these days, but I know that my suffering has a Purpose much greater than I can see on this side of Heaven, and that God will use my Suffering to bring Glory to Himself every single time. It’s not an easy Journey feeling the pain of someone else, but it is (supposed to be) the Core of our Faith and the thing that propels us to Love even the “worst of the worst”…and to take Action. I’ve been Strengthened for this new day, and my Heart has been Tenderized by the King – my suffering has been put into Heavenly Perspective, and I’m ready to be a Blessing in this suffering world. It all began at the Sanctuary for my Soul in the early part of this new day of a new week, where I surrendered everything over to my King all over again, and I “put the work in” so that I can be all that He Created me to be.

How about you?

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” – Ephesians 4:32