compassion

i went for a walk with my mum today. i always seem to learn or relearn something. i observed that my mom pretty much greeted anyone and everyone with a cheerful smile and a wave hello. I told my mom, "You're really social." She responded, "Well you can learn stuff when you talk to people." lol. I realized i'm not nearly as relational, personable or conversational as my parents.

Anyone can simply say the words, "i love you." Or generally say that they care for people. But isn't love expressed in action, works and deeds? Sometimes just giving someone time demonstrates that you care. My mom has a skill of communicating in love. What i mean is that she'll put others before herself. She'll ask questions about people's lives and have a genuine interest or curiosity in what's important to them. She does her best to relate to others and show empathy. She goes the extra mile and looks for ways to serve people.

The art of compassion isn't just what we express, it's also in how we listen. It seems simple, but if u really think about it, how well do we actively listen and attend to people??

My mom stopped at a neighbor's house and thanked this old couple for their kale vegetable plants. This elderly couple was sitting in their lawn pulling weeds. This somehow turned into a 30 minute conversation. I grew impatient and started looking around fidgeting to get going. But then i realized how well my mom was showing patience and genuine interest in this couple. The neighbor's friendly cat came by and i started playing with it cuz i got kinda bored. I really bond better with animals and children for some reason.

I think it's an art and skill to not have our minds concerned only on selfish desires and needs. When we become others minded we can become better at communicating and expressing compassion. Observe how Jesus interacted with people. He listened and cared for people that often get dismissed. How can we mimic that same compassion to others? How can we train ourselves to communicate in love? Filtering God's love to others is the vehicle in which we can communicate the gospel. Love is the transforming agent. It empowers, restores, heals, and strengthens our relationships. 

"If i speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." -Cor. 13:1-3

i spent about $350 on books for this semester. There's this stack of psychology books jus waiting to be read. -_- i dont wannaaa!