day 703: Compassion

"I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. All others care about themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ."

In business we are given opportunities each and every day to show compassion and to put others in front of ourselves. While not described in most handbooks as something we should be doing, in fact, it is a well-known adage that we follow when meet customers or strangers. It is in those two instances that we usually show great compassion and put other people's needs above our own. The customer is always right, after all. And when we run into a stranger asking for simple help like directions or information, we feel good to stop and provide them with what they need. But, why is it that when we work closest to those around us that we lose the compassion and instead expect them to watch out for us, versus the other way around? Something short circuits when we go about our internal work. Another way of thinking about being compassionate is being able to know that we are putting people above other things, like profit. Let us remember that people may be the only true appreciable asset that we have in our business and compassion is a good insurance policy.

As followers of Jesus, what can stand out more about us than how we treat others? Our level of compassion is an indicator to others like no other. There is a popular band today called Mumford & Sons. They have a line in their song "Awake My Soul" that goes like this, "Where you invest your love, you invest your life." We know that we are to invest our love in Jesus and in others. God wants us to be those that define what compassion means. There is no better place for us to put others in front of ourselves than in our workplace. All day long we have the opportunity to do so. Last summer I had the privilege to hear a pastor named Hal Santos speak. He challenged the group he was speaking "to take 15 minutes for inconvenience each day". It is great challenge. Can we find 15 minutes today to spend in compassion for others?

Reference: Philippians 2:20-21 (New Living Testament)