Awareness, Attitude and Action

My head is back into Joyce Rupp book on Boundless Compassion. 

Today the reflection was based on the components of compassion - Awareness - Attitude - Action 

Presenting a question of which of the three are most challenging and how to approach creating it to become less challenging.... 

For me personally, the most challenging is attitude. My attitude leads towards behaviour, actions and also brings me on a certain mind set path. At times its unconscious the way that my thought patterns are created while other times Im aware that I create ‘story lines’ to avoid the vulnerability that is truth. 

I’m guided by the example given of Jesus when faced with the widow of Nain. (Luke 7:11-17) When reading this scripture first it doesn’t occur to me see Jesus actions in the sense of all three components of compassion. Listening to his words “Do not weep” reminds me of the season of joy we stand upon, reminds me of the culture we have created which also adds to my attitude that at times is so unconscious in forming. 

Jesus was aware of the widow suffering, he meet her at the gate of the city, not even entered into the place; meaning it was on his journey. A simple reminder for me that the act, attitude and awareness of compassion is not about living of these when I reach a point - in community, when arrived at place after travel, achieved task set out to do. Rather its on this path that the components are more detrimental. 

Awareness of the suffering, moved Jesus, lead the foundation to His response. Without His emotional response, his unifying in her loss and sorrow Jesus would have just continued along the journey, witnessing another funeral happening. Possibly bowing his head in acknowledgement of the ‘sadness’ that is present whenever someone says goodbye. What does it even mean to have sorrow? I perceptive it to be the opposite of joy, yet maybe its deeper, its like its interwoven with compassion, inseparable to have one without the other. 

What would I do seeing a funeral, how would I witness it with a new attitude one towards compassion?

I am not one for crying in public. This is unhealthy to say the least, as the truth is sometimes tears need to fall, no words can be expressed, the heart weeps in a way that speaks, moves and reflects that of Christ - His moment of recognising in human form the pain, the loss and sorrow the heart knows of. 

In taking on the challenging notion of change attitude I’m confront with the culture I come from, or possibly its the generation I’m from. Where “We don’t sin; we make mistakes” attitude forming a very suspect culture of sorts where the act of weeping is seen as a sign of weakness, brokenness. What is wrong with these things? We are human right?

The more I dwell on it, the more I realise that we, humans, have created this message that tells all of no need to weep either for our brokenness or the damage we have done to others because, unfortunate as it may be, it was beyond our conscious control. 

I am a reflective person. I do a lot of self reflecting and see a great sense of growth from doing so. In confronting this question of what approach to attitude would enable it to become less difficult, I realise that the been around a culture where thinking in a framework of going from mistake to mistake without taking responsibility, owning up to error or having concern once awareness is made, brings about the two words that ring throughout me so often “counter cultural”. 

So often when younger I use to read scripture always looking for the human behaviour of Jesus and wanting to act just like him - to put it simply!  I have lost this child like sense of wonder. I am so head bound, wanting to read what happen before and after, who wrote, when written etc. 

Maybe its time to turn back to this child like behaviour, Jesus saw a gift in tears, to have a heart to care about what is done to others, to stop on his journey responding from a deep place of love, of compassion that sang through any sorrow in uniformity. I believe this is what we are called to do, unite together in all our differences, in all our struggles we are one people, one creator and one creation for that fact! 

My approach to breaking down my attitude is one of developing spirituality of weeping. 

Life becoming a place of honest assessment, humbleness in achievements, of keen love and desperate losses. Life matters to those who weep. Life goes on from moment to moment with an eye to loss, heart for change, and a soul that craves justice and joy with passion.