Compassion

"Radical servanthood is not an enterprise in which we try to surround ourselves with as much misery as possible, but a joyful way of life in which our eyes are opened to the vision of the true God who chose to be revealed in servanthood." - "Compassion" by Nouwen, McNeil and Morrison

When moving to Uptown, although it was a complete response to God and an obedient walking through doors He opened for me, I didn't really think about how much I would meet Him here. I thought about all the people I would meet, the weird experiences I would have, the scary, smelly bit of life you endure, and the powerfully beautiful moments you enjoy when you spend life among those the world is afraid to look at, touch and talk with.

But because God revealed Himself as servant, as the weak and powerless One, Jesus Christ, rather than the ruling King that everyone expected Him to come as despite Scripture's prophecy, it makes complete sense that this is where you would find Him. He is here. He is everywhere. God is with us.

See, when you chose something that seems painful, and when you suffer, whether by choice or by life's circumstance, you find Him there. God promises to comfort those who suffer. He experienced this suffering, to the utmost extreme. God sent His son to die the most painful, tragic and shameful death, and Jesus laid down His life as a servant and lover of all.

This is where we meet Him. In the suffering. But in this suffering, through compassion, there is joy in truly knowing Him. This is why the poor inherit the Kingdom, this is why the poor know God.

I'm finding God more than ever. I'm knowing Him more intimately, because He is already here, and when we love our neighbor, we can finally see Him, where He has always been.