Love and Compassion Fatigue

     I was listening to the radio the other day when I heard the talk show host use a term I had not heard before.  The term was ‘compassion fatigue.’  
     It is a talk show I listen to occasionally; some of the host’s thoughts and comments intrigue me.  I was only half-listening that day however, because the topic of conversation was again turned to Hurricane Katrina.  
     Please do not misunderstand me.  I comprehend the blight surrounding the victims of this disaster.  I have contributed some things to the relief effort.  However, I cannot seem to escape some sort of daily commentary about this subject.  It is constantly a subject on the nightly world news, it is discussed on the radio, and it is everywhere on the internet.  And the issues these days always seem to run along the same vein; what is going to be done, what about the people, who is to blame, etc.  I see the images of New Orleans as it stands today and because I am in another part of the country far away from the city, I am amazed it still lies in destruction.  
     So, when the words ‘compassion fatigue’ were uttered, my ears perked up.  What was this about?  Well, it turns out that because of various reasons, people are starting to burnout.  But it’s not burnout.  It is seeing too much of a disaster that is too big to fix.  And in 2005, there were several gigantic disasters; the tsunami, the hurricanes and the earthquake in the Pakistan region.  All of these disasters have caused people to become overwhelmed at the catastrophes that happen to others.
     If it stopped there, things would be hard enough to bear.  But as sure as there’s
Free will and human nature, there is more.  Compassion fatigue is also stemming from a rash of phony charitable websites that sprung up all over the internet.  One site is funneling their proceeds into their anti-Semitic hate group.  
     There are also the disaster victims that figure out a way to abuse the system.  They are the ones that applied for and received several debt cards the government was giving away.  They are the ones that are causing crime rates in Houston to go up, welfare systems to be taxed, and so on.    
     Compassion fatigue is what the Dalai Lama calls ‘empathy’ and what I call Needing a Savior with Really Big Shoulders.  
     The Dali goes on to say, “It is the simple compassion a person experiences when they want to see another person free from suffering.” Empathy is the autonomic human response to the pain of another—and yes it can be physically exhausting when we experience too much stimuli without the spiritual wisdom to understand our experience.”
     Interesting thought.  Perhaps we have seen too much this past year, and we do not understand why these things happen.  Perhaps we also do not know how to truly comfort these people, how to heal their land, how to love their lives back.  When Billy Graham and his son Franklin were in the New Orleans area last week, it seemed like their visit touched the people there.  The show I watched featured a chaplain that was going door-to-door to visit the people rebuilding.  The people’s reactions were positive, at least on camera, and they said that know God is with them.
     I think compassion fatigue ultimately has to come to grips with why natural disasters happen.  It is easier to deal with disaster when you know that there is a God who is in complete control of all situations.  
     “’I [God] will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’  It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” –Paul in Romans 9.15-16
     We cannot do anything to control the disaster itself.  We all should consider it priority number one to get to know Jesus.  He is the one who will carry the burden of disaster; He will suffer the cost for us if we lean on Him.  I can speak with absolute certainty that those words are truth.  It is not leaning on an imaginary, invisible person for comfort and support.  He is an actual, living God who will love and provide strength throughout struggle.  
     I think the key here is in knowing God never suffers from compassion fatigue.  He is the one to run to when things are too much to bear.
     “Do you not know?
     Have you not heard?
     The Lord is the everlasting God,
     The Creator of the ends of the earth.
     He will not grow tired or weary,
     And His understanding no one can fathom.
     He gives strength to the weary
     and increases the power of the weak.
     Even youths grow tired and weary,
     and young men stumble and fall;
     but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
     They will soar on wings like eagles;
     they will run and not grow weary,
     they will walk and not be faint.”
-Isaiah 40.28-31