Lessons in Compassion

In our church the kids sit at the front during song service, closely watched over by their teachers. (I'm one of them.) After song service ends they're dismissed to Children's Church and mild chaos ensues as they try to race each other to the back of the church. Of course they can't do this very quickly knowing that both teachers and parents are watching, and the aisles aren't big enough to swarm down en masse. And in the far aisle sits a man in a wheel chair, taking up precious space. They are forced to go single file past him, which they do at breakneck tiptoe pace, ever mindful of who is ahead of them.

While I was teaching one week the kids asked why Micah stopped to shake the hand of the man in the wheelchair. We were learning about compassion, and I explained that we could all learn something from Micah. He may not have compassion for the man because of his disability, but rather Micah doesn't see the man as different. Micah stops to shake his hand because he's at Micah's level and it's the polite thing to do.

How often do any of us do that? How often do we look past someone's differences and see them as a normal person, on our own level?

The next week it took quite a while for the kids to make their way out of church. Every single one of the kids stopped to shake the hand of the man in the wheelchair. He beamed from ear to ear.

And Micah simply stood in line to wait his turn because that's what he does.