Compassion

I was listening to a song late last night and hear the word compassion.  It is a common word heard in Christianity, but I started to break down the words within the word.  It was one of those light bulb moments, I was so excited that I wanted to call someone.  Who do you call in the middle of the night to talk about a word?  Compassion, I don't think I ever realized the words within (comp, compass, pass, passion).  When I started to look up what each word means I was so amazed. 

Definitions:

Compassion: feelings of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, strong desire to alleviate suffering.

Compass: instrument to determine direction, the perimeter of an area, space with limits, proper limits

Pass: to omit the usual or regular payment, move past, to cause or allow to go through or beyond a gate, barrier, etc; to go across or over; cross, to endure, complete successfully, complete, transcend

Comp: service provided free of charge to specially chosen recipients

Passion: powerful or compelling feeling

To combine them you get: A powerful feeling of deep sympathy to alleviate suffering by providing free of charge an instrument to determine proper limits to live within and show us true North, which you will then pass beyond the gate successfully!  Can you see why I was so excited? 

Some of the compassion bible verses:

• Exodus 22:27 social responsibility
• Exodus 33:19 God has compassion on those He chooses
• Exodus 34:6 God is gracious
• Deut. 13:17 turn from evil to receive compassion
• Deut. 33:3 God will restore you
• 2 Kings 13:23 God shows compassion on the oppressed
• 2 Chron. 30:9 God will never turn away from us
• Neh. 9:17 God is slow to anger
• Neh. 9:19 God will not abandon us
• Neh. 9:27 God delivered His people from the enemy
• Neh. 9:28 God is faithful to save us
• Psalm 51:1 His compassion blots out our transgressions
• Psalm 86:15 He is abounding in love and faithfulness
• Psalm 103:13 a Father showing love to His children
• Psalm 112:4 compassion is a light in the darkness
• Isaiah 30:18 God longs to show us compassion, He is justice
• Isaiah 49:10 God guides us
• Isaiah 49:13 He has compassion on afflicted people
• Isaiah 49:15 God doesn't forget us
• Isaiah 51:3 He will restore our ruins
• Isaiah 54:10 covenant of peace
• Lam. 3:22 His love never fails
• Mal. 3:17 we are His treasured possession
• Mark 8:2 He will meet our needs
• Luke 15:20 He ran to us with love
• Eph. 4:32 we are to forgive others
• Col. 3:12 give compassion away, be kind, and patient
• 1 Peter 3:8 be humble

"Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation."    Henry Ward Beecher

"A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair."    Abraham J. Heschel