2010 Word of the Year: Compassion
I don’t normally choose a word theme for the year. A few weeks ago while reading my twitter feed I read a tweet that proclaimed that 2010 was the year of something. I don’t even remember what it was. I just remember I immediately thought “2010 is the year of compassion.”
In my Romans study last Fall I came across Romans 12:15:
I feel like God told me that this is what compassion is – being happy with friends who are happy and being sad when my friends are sad.
This is hard for me and doesn’t come naturally to me. My first response to news is to think of next steps or what I would do in the same situation. I can be very pragmatic about things sometimes.
Recently Daniel needed some compassion from me and I wasn’t very quick to give it. He was struggling to finish work before Christmas and wasn’t happy that he couldn’t finish on time. My response, “Well, you are going to do what you are going to do and I am going to get done what I can.” Needless to say this didn’t go over well. He just wanted me to be sympathetic to his situation. I felt like there wasn’t anything I could do for him other than leave him alone to get his work done. Which then meant I had to get ready for Christmas the best I could alone with the kids. It was just how the situation was. Later, I realized my error and apologized.
You know those two little scriptures at the end of the wonderful Psalm 139 that say:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Well, I think this is a pretty scary thing to pray. I am always afraid God would show me what is offensive in me in front of a large group of people. Thankfully, he didn’t do that and told me in my quiet times. I need to be more compassionate. Jesus was compassionate and I need to be more like Him.
So this is my new word for the year – Compassion. I will be working on it with every opportunity. I am human and may not get it all this year, but at least I know I am in His will trying to be more like Jesus.
great post Amanda…definitely something I need to work on too.
Great post. We have a chalkboard in our front entry way and I write messages on it now & again. Yesterday I erased the “Merry Christmas from the Reisses” and wrote, “2010 is our year of HOPE”.
I like the idea of a theme. Thanks for sharing yours.
I think that is super cool – I like your theme.
love it. it reminds me a little of what what god is showing me too. thanks for your transparency! i think god has great things for you this year.