our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Nov 6, 2018, 1:51:02 AM11/6/18

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Compassion Fatigue

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36

Anne Frank is well known for her diary describing her family’s years of hiding during World War II. When she was later imprisoned in a Nazi death camp, those with her said “her tears [for them] never ran dry,” making her “a blessed presence for all who knew her.” Because of this, scholar Kenneth Bailey concluded that Anne never displayed “compassion fatigue.”

Compassion fatigue can be one of the results of living in a badly broken world. The sheer volume of human suffering can numb even the best intentioned among us. Compassion fatigue, however, was not in Jesus’s makeup. Matthew 9:35–36 says, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Our world suffers not only from physical needs but also from spiritual brokenness. Jesus came to meet that need and challenged His followers to join Him in this work (vv. 37–38). He prayed that the Father would raise up workers to respond to the needs all around us—people who struggle with loneliness, sin, and illness. May the Father give us a heart for others that mirrors His heart. In the strength of His Spirit, we can express His compassionate concern to those who are suffering.

In a world filled with heartache, we can model the compassion of Jesus.

爱心疲乏

祂看见许多的人，就怜悯他们，因为他们困苦流离，如同羊没有牧人一般。-马太福音9章36节

安妮．法兰克（Anne Frank）所写的《安妮日记》闻名于世，日记描述她跟家人在二战期间躲藏两年的生活点滴。后来，她被关进纳粹集中营，与她同在一起的人说：“她从未停止为人流泪！”对所有认识她的人来说，有她在身边就是一个祝福。因此，有位学者认为，安妮始终未曾“爱心疲乏”，意即她对人没有失去怜悯的心。

活在痛苦破碎的世界中，会让人失去怜悯的心。连最有爱心的人也会因太多的苦难而麻木不仁，但耶稣却并非如此。马太福音9章35-36节说：“耶稣走遍各城各乡，在会堂里教训人，宣讲天国的福音，又医治各样的病症。祂看见许多的人，就怜悯他们，因为他们困苦流离，如同羊没有牧人一般。”

这世界的苦难不仅限于身体上的痛苦，还包含心灵的伤害。耶稣为了这些需要来到世上，祂也要求信徒与祂同工（37-38节）。祂祈求天父兴起更多人，来回应我们周遭人的需要，关心那些孤独、生病和陷在罪中的人们。愿上帝赐给我们一颗像耶稣一样怜悯人的心，我们也可倚靠圣灵的能力，向那些受苦的人表达耶稣的怜悯与关怀。

天父，求祢赦免我漠视那些需要帮助的人，
求圣灵加添我力量，使我能按着祢的指引与供应来帮助身边的人。