Compassion Challenge

A couple weeks ago at church I heard a quote by CS Lewis that really stuck with me.

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours." -C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

The sermon on church that night was about compassion and the story of The Good Samaritan. It got me thinking about how I can be having compassion for people more. I thought about work - where I see hundreds of people each week. Some people come back week after week, some are there once a year, and some will probably never come back to this area again after their visit.

I have no way of possibly sharing Jesus with every person who comes through the doors. But I realized that sometimes I get so irritated or annoyed with these guests with no good reason at all. They aren't friendly, they may complain, they may even need a lot of things.

So I challenged myself to use those few minutes I have with each person to try and show them compassion. Whether it is smiling through their rudeness or helping them to the best of my ability - going above and beyond what is required - I want to try and do it.

It's definitely not easy but it has been good for me to constantly be reminding myself how important compassion is for every person we meet. Because they are not ordinary people.