Combating compassion fatigue

A friend told me recently that as she approached a store on New Year’s Day, a young man came out carrying two big bouquets of flowers. He handed her one, saying, “This is for you. Happy New Year!” and kept going. How heartwarming it was to hear of someone expressing such kindness, apparently for the first two people he encountered that day.

A small act like this can do much to help someone overcome discouragement and hopelessness. It certainly did for my friend, who had been going through a difficult time.

In a society where the term “compassion fatigue” has been growing more common, we too can fight against apathy and hopelessness by arming ourselves with deeds of goodness and thoughtfulness. We can take a strong mental stand against selfishness and indifference and find a spiritual basis to combat the evil that seems so overwhelming and prevalent.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered the laws of God and named them Christian Science, wrote, “In the battle of life, good is made more industrious and persistent because of the supposed activity of evil. The elbowing of the crowd plants our feet more firmly. In the mental collisions of mortals and the strain of intellectual wrestlings, moral tension is tested, and, if it yields not, grows stronger” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 339).

It is the truth of God’s allness that empowers us not to be bowled over by troubles. God is our Father, and we are His flawless reflection, made in God’s image, in the image of divine Love. As such, our true nature is always peace-loving and non-reactive amidst the push and pressure of any fear and aggression we encounter.

A simple gift of flowers can be a symbol of what the Bible refers to as “the weapons of our warfare,” which “are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (II Corinthians 10:4). These “weapons” are spiritual qualities such as compassion, tenderness, and goodness that come into play when we express tender, heartfelt kindness to another; take a strong moral stand for right thinking and acting; or courageously refuse to react in fear, anger, or discouragement amidst reports of violence and evil in the world.

Our expression of these spiritual qualities does indeed make us stronger, because they have their source in God, in divine Love. The Bible tells us, “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). It is man’s unity with God, the oneness that Christ Jesus taught belongs to each of us, that gives us the ability to counteract reports of evil with compassionate deeds of caring. And because each inspired thought and act has its inception in God, divine Love, instead of human will, its capacity to bless is boundless.

It is not human goodness that blesses but God’s benevolence, which we reflect. So we can always take a stronger stand for goodness and gentleness in the world. And every tender, loving act counts! Each one adds a drop of progress and prosperity to the bucket of the world’s thought, reducing fears and positively influencing humanity to collectively rise higher. We may never know how much a gentle touch, a smile, or a word can lift and strengthen another who may be struggling.

In a sermon that was delivered at the start of a new year (see “Pulpit and Press,” p. 4), Mrs. Eddy quoted these lines from a poem by William Cutter:

What if the little rain should say,
"So small a drop as I
Can ne’er refresh a drooping earth,
I’ll tarry in the sky."

Haven’t we all felt this way at one time, wondering what difference our small contribution would make? If our taking a stand for goodness appears small, then we can remember that God is the source of every positive thought and act, so each loving offering comes with all the might of God’s tender love supporting and prospering it. As God’s offspring we have an unlimited capacity to bless our fellow man with deeds of tenderness and caring.

We can each make a commitment to take a more active stand for good in our life and resist being pushed and buffeted by reports of evil. We can plant our feet more firmly and contribute to a campaign of compassion, caring, and unselfish giving. This is a battle we can fight and win through the grace of God, and we will surely see the change it brings to a waiting world.