Compassion can be defined as a feeling of sorrow for someone. However, it was originally used as a verb: to be compassionate. Compassion hears about a tragic death in a friend’s family and says, “I feel so sorry for them.” Compassionate hears about that tragic death and says, “I feel so sorry for them. I’ll take dinner to their house and see what else I can do to help during this tragic time.” Compassion feels pity, but does nothing about it. Compassionate feels pity, then does something constructive to lessen the suffering. Compassionate people enter into the other person’s pain as if it were their own and help shoulder the burden. When someone is struggling through a tough situation and we say, “If you need anything, just let me know,” that’s a shallow offer. We know that they probably will not call because they don’t know what they need; they’re numb. Being compassionate doesn’t just ask, it acts. Jesus came to free us from sin’s power of death. He not only felt compassion for us, but He was also compassionate when He put love into action on the Cross. May we be more like Jesus, being compassionate toward others who are in need.