Book Review Thursday - Compassion | Josh

I think Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri Nouwen, Donald P. Mcneill, Douglas A. Morrison is one of the best books on what it means to follow Jesus that has ever been penned.

I probably have a skewed view. It's because reading this book was a staff requirement the summer I worked for a home repair ministry in Appalachian Tennessee, sleeping under the stars in state parks, and doing home repair projects with youth groups during the day. We went through a 6-day devotional with the kids that blended relevant Scripture and material from the book, and in that environment there was plenty of opportunity to practice the idea and concept of compassion with youth, homeowners, & staff. And I got to see God change a lot of people's lives, my own included.

I was fortunate enough to spend most of that summer working on one really messed up house of a guy with some severe health problems. Week by week, the house got a little more livable and the guy's health improved a little too. When we started, the situation looked pretty hopeless, but after a new roof, a drainage ditch, new flooring, paint on the walls, all in about 9 weeks of work, it was a complete transformation. It wasn't quite on the scale or budget of Extreme Makeover, because we were working with the budget and labor skills of teenagers and what their youth groups raised to bring on the trips, but it was about as close to that show as anything I've ever experienced. What surprised me most though, was how much getting to know the homeowners taught me. So when I returned the next summer as a regional manager, and Kara came to visit, I made sure to introduce her to Barry & Gloria. They awkwardly gave us their blessing to get married before I had proposed.

So, I have some nostalgia for this time of deep personal growth that happened while I was reading this book, hence my enthusiasm. But to this day, whenever I read the words of this book I am struck to the heart and want to be a better man, or perhaps I should say more like Jesus.

For people who are interested in learning to live like Jesus and be his disciples, I strongly recommend this book, especially for those interested in this new expression of the Body of Christ that seems to be coming into existence in Philadelphia. The three authors really take time to meditate and consider what it means to follow a Compassionate God. The whole book is really centered around one of my favorite passages from the Bible.

If this is the kind of God we serve, what does it mean to bear his image? What does it mean to imitate Christ? What does it mean to be human in this way?

Perhaps rather abstract concepts, but I find them to be deeply moving and motivating.

Also, I have found reading this book to be very helpful inoculation against greed, pride, and avarice. Whenever I'm tempted to build myself up at the expense of others, concepts I learned from this book come to mind and I at least have to pause and choose to be a jerk rather than wandering into it blindly and as a matter of course. Reading this book helps me check my motives over and over.

Here's a good excerpt:

But what about the cures? Did not the blind see, the lepers become pure, the paralyzed walk again, and the widow see her son come back to life? Is that not what counts? Is that not what proves that God is God and he really loves us? Let us be very careful with our pragmatism. It was out of his compassion that Jesus' healing emerged. He did not cure to prove, to impress, or to convince. His cures were the natural expression of his being our God. The mystery of God's love is not that he takes our pains away, but that he first wants to share them with us. Out of this divine solidarity comes new life. Jesus' being moved in the center of his being by human pain is indeed a movement toward new life. God is our God, the God of the living. In his divine womb life is always born again. The great mystery is not the cures, but the infinite compassion that is their source.

In a culture obsessed with technique and personality, this book emphasizes the necessity to have the character of Christ residing in our hearts. There are all kinds of causes and programs and things to do, but this book focuses on the why and it does it in a spiritually deep way that is accessible and Christ-centered. It does a great job of presenting a balanced view of the Gospel and its inherent call to discipleship. If you take the time to read this book along with the Scripture it quotes, the truth of Jesus' amazing, sacrificial love is bound to scrub out your heart and make it bleed for people in your life who are hurting. At least, that's what it does for me.