Have you ever had a situation rock your whole world and you finally get up the nerve to tell someone about it. Thinking they would offer some encouragement or a few kind words, but instead they say, “oh well, suck it up, forget about it or don’t worry about it, it’ll be okay?” I’m here to tell you something you already know. All those tips are easier said than done. It sounds good to the person delivering it, but to the hearer, it’s a slap in the face. It takes a lot of courage for a person to tell someone the intimate details of their life and to get such awful advice is a bit insensitive.

Some things in life are just hard to forget or just drop it like it never happened (i.e., loss of a loved one, sickness, or disease). A simple get over it will not do. No matter how well you know the person we were all made with feelings. And when things like that are said, it hurts, and it shows a lack of genuine concern for people and their problems.

When Jesus walked the earth nowhere is it written that He said man—get over it or you’ll be alright just keep living. What it does say is He was moved with compassion (Mark 6:34). Whether it was hunger, thirst, or health, He did what we should do daily. We should move with compassion regardless of it being a simple matter, or something earth shattering. Why? Because we will never know how something affects a person until it happens to us—God forbid.

Have I always acted with compassion? No. As a man and a leader, I was quick to say you’ll be alright because it wasn’t my problem, or because I just didn’t care. But now I try to have compassion because you just never know what people are going through. Life is hard on all of us every day and to blow someone off is not a good idea. I read in the Bible somewhere it says: “The strong are to bear the infirmities of the weak and not please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1)

So, my brothers, instead of pleasing ourselves, let’s put ourselves in their shoes and move with compassion. I believe we can all agree this world is suffering enough from a lack of compassion, so let’s do our part to make things better and not worse. May God continue to bless you, your brother in Christ…TMK.