How often do you say, “Oh Honey”?

 When it comes to this month’s theme of Cultivating Compassion, my mind immediately jumps to the poem “Self-Compassion” written by James Crews.

(You can read it at: https://poets.org/poem/self-compassion.) In the poem is the phrase “oh honey” – which melts me every time.

We have so much going on in our lives – and in the world around us. Why not give ourselves a reprieve every now and then with a comforting hand over our own hearts and a gentle  “oh honey” reminder that we are not alone?

Nearly every week we share the mission of Peoples Church: “Living compassionate lives through spiritual growth and just action.” This month let’s reflect more deeply on this value of compassion. What do we need in order to live compassionate lives?

Perhaps it begins with some learning. Dr. Kristin Neff notes that “compassion” is derived from Latin and refers to how we are with (com) suffering (passion). In her work, Dr. Neff has identified three main elements of compassion:

1. Mindfulness (which means taking a balanced approach to suffering that neither suppresses nor exaggerates it),

2. Common humanity (which means that suffering is experienced by all humans), and

3. Kindness (which is about offering understanding, warmth, and support).

The creators of the Soul Matters network urge us into action by noting that “compassion is not just niceness and thoughtful feelings. It’s about something deeper: an impulse that drives us to action. Indeed, [compassion] is distinguished by doing. To feel the pain of another, empathy has that covered. But compassion … urges us to do something about that pain.”

Let’s practice being compassionate – being with suffering – in the world together. When we practice together, one of the actions we take can be offering each other a sincere “oh honey” every now and again.

Growing in Faith,