What Does Compassion Feel Like? - The Crosswalk Devotional - December 29

PLUS...7 Toxic Attitudes to Let Go of This New Year  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ &zwnj [Crosswalk.com Logo]( The Crosswalk Devotional  [Devotionals](        [Newsletters](        [e-Cards](      [The Crosswalk Devotional]( What Does Compassion Feel Like? By Meg Bucher “[Jesus]( saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” [Matthew 14:14]( NLT Pictures of life jackets covering the ground came to my mind when my family started talking about a movie about the Syrian refugee crisis. As we watched, my daughter went through a gamete of emotions, imagining what it must have been like for the young girls featured in the movie. They were swimmers, just like her. They had a family and a home they had to flee. When other people hurt, we often hurt, too. Especially when those people are close to us or we relate to them on a specific level or shared experience. The closer the proximity, the more acute the empathy and compassion we feel for them. It’s a pit of the stomach feeling. A gut feeling. An emotion that brings forth physical symptoms. Jesus was compassionate to the people He met while He walked the earth. Particularly for His apostles and for those who followed and listened to His teachings and asked for healing. The verse above prefaced the miracle made famous by the loaves and fish. Jesus already had compassion for the people and followed through in His care for them by making sure they had enough to eat, too. “But we only have five loaves of bread and two fish!” His disciples pointed out to Jesus. ([Matthew 14:17]( NLT) The apostle Mark records today’s verse this way:  [CONTINUE READING →](            You May Also Like:        [7 Toxic Attitudes to Let Go of This New Year](  Debbie McDaniel There are certain attitudes and choices that, over time, can become toxic to our spiritual walk.  [CONTINUE READING →](       [How Do We Make Marriage Last in Today’s Society?](  Aaron D'Anthony Brown Whereas society used to hold contempt and stigma towards divorce, now the process is common, normal, and expected. When? When you’ve had enough of being unhappy. Why? Because you deserve to be happy. But are these ideas biblical?  [CONTINUE READING →](            [Laughing Parrot Has The Whole Vet Office Crying With Laughter](  GodTube.com Do you need a good laugh? This viral TikTok will have you in stitches. When I first watched the video, I thought it was the woman vet tech laughing until I realized, it was indeed the parrot. This laughing parrot has the whole vet office crying with laughter. The Bible says that laughter is the best medicine and there is plenty of research, proverbs, and quotes to back it up. But who knew a parrot could bring so much joy? I certainly didn’t until this video showed up in my TikTok feed and you do not want to miss it. The Pennsylvanian Petland staff had no idea what a treat they were in for when a parrot by the name of Paco came in for a routine wing clip and nail trim. This comical parrot was nervous about his nail trim and it’s obvious by the way he comments, Paco is well loved and mirrors his owner’s laugh perfectly. She must be a woman who loves hard and laughs often. As the vet tech begins to trim his wings, he began his commentary with laughter and a few “Hey there baby,” comments. At one point, both vet techs are laughing so hard, that they are crying and nearly hindered from doing their jobs. It was so funny, they couldn’t help but post this video to TikTok where it has gone viral with thousands of comments and over two million views. One viewer mirrored my thoughts with his comment, “The fact that this bird knows how to imitate the sound of someone trying to say something while not being able to catch their breath is hilarious.” Another stated he is obviously a well-loved bird, “It’s obvious that Paco is surrounded by a lot of laughter and affection in his home!” One other viewer had me giggling when she commented, “I love how we normalized birds talking back to us like it’s not the weirdest thing ever.” No, no it’s totally not weird. Thank God for the gift of laughter and our beloved feather-winged friends. [Proverbs 17:22]( "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."  [WATCH NOW →](        [10 Bible Reading Plans to Start This January](  Cindi McMenamin Second Timothy 3:16 tells us: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” so that each of us can be “complete, equipped for every good work”. Are you ready to be complete and “equipped for every good work” in the new year?  [CONTINUE READING →](                            Bible Trivia Question of the Day                                           Who gave his firstborn daughter to Jacob as a wife? A. Jephthah B. Haran C. Laban D. Terah [ANSWER THE QUESTION →](     [Crosswalk.com Logo](  [Read about Salem Web Network](  |  [Unsubscribe](   [Email Preference Center](  |  [View in Browser](   © 2022 Salem Web Network. All rights reserved. 111 Virginia Street, Suite 200, Richmond, VA 23219. This email is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving this email because your email address, {EMAIL}, is signed up to receive newsletters, updates, and special offers from Crosswalk. Â