Kindness and Compassion

"No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted." - Aesop

Every Wednesday afternoon for the past 3 months, my little Queen B and I go to our local church for a discipleship session. Most of those Wednesdays, we have to commute from and back to our home as I don't know how to drive. Riding a jeepney with a toddler in tow is no easy task especially now that I no longer babywear her. That is why I am very thankful whenever a kind-hearted fellow passenger helps me during the process of getting in and out of the jeepney. It is a simple act to assist me and my little Queen B but for a mom traveling alone, it is a big deal. 

As I have mentioned in my previous post, last September 30 I was blessed to talk about one of the women of the Bible during my local church's monthly ladies fellowship and I have chosen the Shunammite Woman. In the following days, I will be sharing with you her traits that made her worthy to be imitated by every Christian woman and the first set of characteristics I would discuss is her kindness and compassion as depicted in 2 Kings 4: 8-10. 

One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp; so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

Kindness – the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

Compassion – sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

All of us, in one way or another, have experienced God’s love for us. Like us, the Shunammite Woman has experienced God’s love way before her encounter with the prophet Elisha. Based on the passage, this woman and her husband were materially blessed. We can also say that the woman was blessed with a good husband. He listens to his wife’s recommendations. He must have considered her as a partner and valued her opinions. This woman had richly experienced God’s kindness to her that she just can’t help but extend that kindness and compassion to others. 

Elisha in doing his work for the Lord continually travels. When he was young, all this traveling must have been easy but as he aged, traveling would have become tiring. The Shunammite Woman must have observed this, felt concern for Elisha, but she didn’t stop with feelings. She took action and in order to help Elisha, she “urged” him to eat at her home whenever he passed that way. Take note that she didn’t just offer food to Elisha; she insisted that he eats and rest before going on his way. Then she took her kindness and compassion a notch higher by making a room especially for Elisha in their home so he can rest properly.

This made me wonder. How about us? How are we allowing the love God has put in our hearts to help his work and people? What are we doing to show kindness and compassion to others?

God wants us to be kind and compassionate to one another, even to our “enemies”.

As said in Colossians 3:12:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

There are many ways to extend ourselves to those in need. We should use our God-given gifts whatever they are to be of service to others. Even Jesus Christ himself was aided by women as said in Luke 8: 1-3.

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

Just how thankful I am with those random kind-hearted fellow jeepney passengers, I am also grateful (actually more) with the facilitators of our discipleship session. These were the senior lady members of our local church.  They have seen the need of the younger women of our church for spiritual mentors and they took action to help us in that aspect. They have been very generous with their time, knowledge, wisdom, and life experiences as they facilitated our Life and Legacy discipleship groups. 

Those amazing women and the Shunammite woman inspire me to be more intentional in being kind and compassionate to everyone, even those who cause me pain. And if I find it tedious and tiring to be kind and compassionate, then may I always remember how kind and compassionate our Lord has been to me. Isaiah 54:8 says:

In overflowing anger, for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love, I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.

As I studied the Shunammite Woman, I am continuously filled with feelings of amazement on how God can make a very short story in the Bible so full of lessons. He is truly the best teacher we could ever have. 

Tomorrow I will share with you another trait of the Shunammite woman that I believe I will forever struggle with: contentment.  

Yours, 

Lady 


P.S.   Another worth-mentioning characteristic of the Shunammite Woman in this passage is her submissiveness to her husband. She didn’t just make big decisions on her own. She consulted her husband first which shows she is a submissive wife. Honestly, I struggle with this trait as I am very independent in nature.