The real meaning of compassion

Let me share this powerful story with you.

Bob Weber, former president of Kiwanis International, had been the special guest speaker of a Kiwanis club gathering in a small town and was spending the night with a farmer member on the outskirts of the community. He had just relaxed on the front porch when a newsboy delivered the evening paper. The boy noted the sign “Puppies for Sale”. The boy got off his bike and said to the farmer, “How much do you want for the pups, Mister?”

“Twenty-five dollars, Son.”

The boy’s face dropped. “Well, Sir, could I at least see them anyway?”

The farmer whistled and in a moment the mother dog came bounding around the corner of the house followed by four cute puppies, wagging their tails and yipping happily. And then a fifth pup came straggling around the house, dragging one hind leg.

“What’s the matter with that puppy, Mister?” the boy asked.

“Well, Son, that puppy is crippled. We took her to the vet, and had the doctor X-ray her. The pup doesn’t have a hip joint and that leg will never be right.”

To the amazement of both men, the boy dropped the bike, reached for his collection bag and took out a fifty-cent piece. “Please, Mister,” the boy pleaded, “I want to buy that pup. I’ll pay you fifty cents every week until the twenty-five dollars is paid. Honest I will, Mister.”

The farmer replied, “But, Son, you don’t seem to understand. That pup will never, never be able to run or jump. That pup is going to be a cripple forever. Why in the world would you want such a useless pup as that?”

The boy paused for a moment, then reached down and pulled up his pant leg, exposing that all-too-familiar iron brace and the leather knee-strap holding a poor twisted leg. The boy answered, “Mister, that pup is going to need someone who understands him to help him in life!”

Have you gone through a very debilitating experience, maybe an episode of your life so painful you can still feel the pain? I know I have. In such experiences, people usually ask:

“Why?”

“Why are they doing this to me?”

“What did I do to deserve this?”

“Why me?”

Fast forward to where you and I are today. With eyes of faith and gratitude, I now know why God allowed me to go through such painful experiences – so that I can share what I’ve learned from it, and comfort and encourage those going through a similar experience today. Because one can go to the best counselor in the world or visit the most articulate minister, but he will never get the same quality advice from someone who has gone through what he’s going through at the moment. Charles Haddon Spurgeon says, “Those who wear the shoe know best where it pinches.”

What is compassion? Compassion is simply the willingness to share the pain and the suffering of someone who’s going through tough times.

You know. Now, go and tell others!

(Spend two whole days with Francis Kong developing your leadership skills this November 24-25 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. at 632-6872614 or 09178511115.)