Take a moment to refresh, refocus, and refine your faith.
Compassionate Caregiver, how often do I look at people entangled in suffering, sin-related struggles, or trouble and assume they are entirely to blame for it whether that is the case or not? Is compassion a secondary response following judgment? Lord Jesus, thank you that you did not look upon me that way. And I pray you would fix my heart to mirror yours towards those who need love and understanding most. You did not have to take my suffering, sin, or trouble upon yourself, but you did, giving your life willingly for my shame. As you offered that redemption and peace to me, help me share that offer with others. Show me how I am being called to see past the tangles and to the hearts you also deemed worth dying for. Amen.
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken my him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.