When Plans Trump Compassion: A Mirror to Our Faith

When Plans Trump Compassion: A Mirror to Our Faith

I had plans. Leave work. Hit the gym. Handle a few tasks. Kick up my feet and indulge in some well-earned rest.

But on that drive, I saw him—hands raised, desperation written across his face. His car had broken down. His wife tended to their child in the backseat. And me? I felt my heart close like a locked door.

I reasoned: “I’m not a mechanic.” I hoped my tinted windows would conceal my indecision. I didn’t stop. I didn’t even acknowledge him.

It took me days to realize I didn’t just ignore his problem—I ignored his humanity. Not because I lacked the ability to help, but because I didn’t want to risk my comfort. I could’ve offered five minutes of reassurance. Helped him make a call. Asked if he had someone en route. But I drove away, safeguarding my schedule instead of being a servant of grace.

We claim we live by a doctrine that edifies, uplifts, and reconciles—yet who are we edifying if we never pause to see, listen, or serve? How can we proclaim a self-sacrificing Savior while preserving our own agendas at all costs?

(Part 1) Jesus Walked the Doctrine: Truth isn’t just taught—it’s traveled.

 How Doctrine Walks, Loves, and Lives Among Us (Part 1)

Jesus Walked the Doctrine: Truth isn’t just taught—it’s traveled.

We often think of doctrine as something printed, preached, or parsed—but before it was proclaimed, it walked. Doctrine was never designed to remain cold in the pages of a scroll or clinical in a pulpit. It moved in sandaled feet, brushed against weary shoulders, lingered near grieving hearts, and burned quietly on unknown roads.

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” — Genesis 3:8

Even in Eden, truth did not thunder—it walked. The Word didn’t stand distant; it approached. This is the earliest rhythm of divine engagement: God drawing near, not simply delivering instruction.

Fast-forward to John’s Gospel, and we see the culmination of this rhythm:

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14

The Word dwelt—not floated. He didn't host seminars from heaven. He walked. He met people in marketplaces, in leper colonies, at wedding feasts, and along grieving roads. He made truth tangible.

“God’s Word is deeply personal—it chooses to walk, not just instruct.”