Compassion
by Elvia Palacios
Everyday,
the world is going from bad to worse. Situations around
the world are becoming very tense and problems like hunger
and poverty are becoming more common everywhere. The world
would be a much better place if individuals of different
backgrounds and ideas would practice unselfishness and kindness
to one another. Unfortunately, in this world there are very
few people that practice compassion to one another. There
are also other people that give compassion to others expecting
something in return. Personally, I always find right the
words that Jesus said in Acts 20:35 that “there is
more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.”
I know that my life hasn’t been easy, but showing
compassion to others in different ways helps me feel better
and grow as a better person. Some of the ways that I show
compassion is not only by listening to others, but also
by taking action.
Giving people
material things that they need in order to live is good,
but sometimes what people need is someone that listens.
The Bible suggests that we have to speak, but we also have
to learn to listen to what other people think or feel. I
think that showing compassion also involves listening to
the people that need to open their hearts and show their
emotions. These people need someone that listens to their
problems without judging them. Letting people express themselves
is what I like to do. I like to listen to the people that
are around me. I want them to see me as a person in which
they can trust and find a friend.
Since many things
like war, natural disasters, and poverty are terrorizing
people, many of them have lost the faith in God. Many of
them think that God is punishing humanity for forgetting
Him and behaving bad. In my religion, I see things in another
way. I am a Jehovah’s Witness and we strongly believe
in what the Bible says. The bible teaches us that God is
a “God of love” and that he will soon bring
a paradise in which many of the problems that exist today
will no longer affect us. My faith in God has impulse me
spread His word and the things that He promises in the Bible.
One way in which I spread His word is by preaching from
door to door in the community in which I live.
Although many
people ask themselves how is preaching from door to door
a way of showing compassion and unselfishness, I feel good
about doing this. What I have learn in my religion has giving
me the strength to confront the problems of life especially
the problems that every teenager has. I also know that God
is always there whenever we need Him. I feel that this and
other things are very important that the people in my community
and around the world should know about God. This is the
reason why I participate in preaching God’s word on
weekends and whenever I have the opportunity to preach.
I feel in my heart that if knew all the marvelous promises
that God has for all humans who are willing to follow His
directions and I did not share them with the rest of the
people, then I would be behaving in an selfishness way.
For God, there is no discrimination so when I preach, I
don’t discriminate people based on their sex, religion
or economic status. Some people might see preaching as something
useless, but us, the Jehovah’s Witness, including
myself, see preaching as a way of showing kindness to others
and showing them that God promises a better world for us.
Even though I sometimes get tired after a long day of preaching,
at the end of the day I feel good and I know that all the
hours that I preached were not in vain. Having the experience
of showing compassion to others through the promises of
the Bible is something that I would never change for anything.
My life has
not been easier and I have had to pass though many obstacles
to become a better person and show kindness to others. One
of these obstacles is overcoming my shyness. As I mentioned
before, I go from door to door preaching God’s word
in the Bible. Talking to strangers was not easy for me,
but something that has helped me is to learn to trust in
God and that he will give me the Holy Spirit to continue
talking to people. Another obstacle that I had to overcome
was reading in Spanish. I live in a community in which the
predominant language is Spanish, so in order to preach I
had to improve my Spanish reading. Improving in my reading
not only helped me personally, but also academically. Since
my Spanish got better, my grades in my Spanish class also
improved significantly.
In conclusion,
for me listening is a good way in which I feel that I can
show compassion to others. I also think that helping people
learn about God is the best way to show compassion and I
am determined to continue doing this fulfilling job. |
