Finding Compassion in Life’s Challenges

• By candidasullivan
• January 30, 2025
• No Comments

Sometimes, God allows us to practice what we’ve been learning and apply it to our lives in the moment. This happened to me yesterday. I’ve been learning about judgment and how to react with love, kindness, and compassion. It’s one thing to write about it, and it’s another to get to apply it in the moment.

A few months ago, a deer hit my vehicle. I’ve been on the waitlist for several months to get it repaired. Last week, they called to schedule me. After I got the drop-off date, I immediately scheduled my rental pick-up. Yesterday, when it was time to pick up my rental, there was a problem: They didn’t have one available for me. So, I had to go back home and wait, which delayed me from getting to drop off my vehicle for repair.

I was a little aggravated because I had been waiting for months and had my rental scheduled for a week. I worried it would cause a problem with the shop, which was scheduled to work on my vehicle, and that I wouldn’t be able to get a rental to accommodate my needs.

However, within a few hours, they had everything fixed. I dropped off my vehicle, picked up the rental, and started home when a low tire warning flashed. It alarmed me because it was considerably lower than the others. I had only been driving it for a few minutes. I called the dealership, and they told me to take it to a shop to have it fixed.

When I arrived at the tire shop, I found them swamped and with a long wait time. At this point, I felt a little overwhelmed. I had left my work at home, and I still had so much to do. The anxiety crept in. I felt myself getting upset. And this is where the beautiful gift of compassion came in.

God gave me a real-life experience to see if I could find compassion instead of judgment amid the struggle. After a few deep breaths and a prayer, I found compassion for the tire shop, which was behind schedule and working short-handed, and gratitude that they were willing to work me in with all the chaos.

We don’t get to decide what happens to us, but we do get to decide what to do about it and how we will react. So many things happen in life that are beyond our control, and sometimes, we take out our frustrations on others, even though it’s not their fault.

Trust me, I’ve done this so many times before. But learning to go with the flow and finding compassion feels much better. Compassion actually softens our hearts and all of the places that want to come unglued. It helps to see the situation through different perspectives and to care about everyone involved, not just myself.

Sweet friends, it’s so beneficial to sit with God after the fact and ask Him what He wanted us to learn from it all. I knew God wanted me to learn something because the situation was big enough to get my attention. I’ve learned that if we look and listen, God can show us beautiful opportunities for growth in everyday life.

Reflecting on it with Him also helps me see things differently and be grateful for the situation that rattled me enough to help me grow.

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