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Verse:Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. —2 Corinthians 1:3, 4, NIV
Thirteen years passed after I left graduate school before I could embark on doctoral studies because I wanted to wait until my daughter was at least ten years old before I began further rigorous study.
The reward of such a deep commitment would be new discoveries added to evidence-based knowledge in my nursing profession.
The commute from a state university in San Bernardino, California, United States of America, to a parochial university in San Diego took one and a half hours if I moved right along. Every time I arrived in San Diego, I would express my joy and gratitude in this prayer: “Lord, I will do my best; please do the rest.” Toward the last year of research work, I drove to San Diego right after teaching my morning classes in San Bernardino so that I could use the computer lab for my research.
One day, in the midst of some research due that day, the computer I was using crashed. I had not yet saved my work, so I lost everything I had written! Tears flowed down my cheeks. I didn’t realize that anyone entering the back door of the lab would be able to see me where I was seated. Unexpectedly, my professor came through the door. She saw me crying. Immediately at my side, she touched my shoulder and asked, “What happened?” I told her. She took a chair and sat beside me with an expression of compassion on her face. She looked at the black screen of my computer and kindly said, “It’s OK, Edna. You can submit your work tomorrow.” What a relief! I told her she was a lifesaver. Though my teacher was not of the same denomination as I, she (as with many other teaching personnel at this university) gave me a better insight as to what love is and its relationship to compassion. I gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of living out one’s simple faith in Jesus and often witnessed down-to-earth compassion modeled in the classroom. Love was extended to everyone, empowering the students to pursue and receive a quality education. The respect, compassion, and humility that Jesus demonstrated on the cross He desires His followers to manifest toward all others.
Peter wrote, “Be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8, NIV).
Edna Bacate Domingo