September 17

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.” — Luke 7:13 BSB

A sorrow in a home sends out waves of tender feeling that touch a wide community. While the sign of grief hangs on a door, almost everyone who passes by, even for a moment, becomes a little more thoughtful. Strangers walking by may not know the family, but they still feel the weight of the sorrow and their hearts are moved. Anything that touches people with a gentler mood, even if only briefly, becomes a blessing in the world. Sympathy has a humanizing effect. It makes people more tolerant of one another, more patient with each other’s faults, more loving and considerate.

What is transforming the world today, moving it away from cruelty and harshness toward greater kindness and brotherliness, is a sorrow—the sorrow of Calvary.