Learning About Ragdolls

He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Luke 10:34 CSB

            Pandy was a ragdoll who was missing an arm, contained very little stuffing, and was missing most of her hair. Pandy belonged to John Ortberg’s sister whom he writes about in his book Love Beyond Reason. Pandy was his sister’s favorite doll, so, when Pandy turned up missing on the way home from a family vacation, the Ortberg’s turned the car around to retrace their tracks and find Pandy. They eventually found the doll tangled up in the hotel bed sheets waiting to be washed. Pandy was very valuable to this family. Why? Not because she was actually worth any money or was even very beautiful, she simply was so loved by Ortberg’s little sister. This devoted family absolutely loved this little girl so in turn, they loved Pandy.

            If you know anything about our loving Father at all, you would find this story very familiar. As His children, we are missing hair, lost in sheets, about to be cleaned out, losing our minds, yet He loves us dearly. We are indeed ragdolls ourselves, but we are God’s ragdolls. And just like Ortberg’s family took care of those they loved, God will do the same for us. This understanding should then, naturally, leads us to love God’s ragdolls. “Love me, love my rag dolls,” God says, “It’s a package deal.”[1]

            This is the compassion of Christ and it is the compassion He asks us to extend to this world. In the Biblical sense compassion refers to an awareness of and deep sympathy for another’s suffering and a great desire to alleviate the suffering. When we truly feel this type of compassion, we also have a desire to accompany the feeling with action. As Christ followers, this practical work can show through acts of kindness, mercy and justice. When we practice compassionate action we cannot limit it to grand gestures, but instead express it in our everyday interactions. This involves listening, offering support, and meeting practical needs. As believers we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ and by behaving in these ways we can reflect God’s compassion to a hurting world.

            God loves us in our torn and tattered state. Compassion is deeply rooted in His character. In Exodus 34:6, God describes Himself to Moses as “The LORD—the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,” (CSB) In the New Testament story of the Good Samaritan, the illustration Jesus gives is true neighborly love involving compassionate action. When we behave like the Good Samaritan, we serve as a model for believers to follow.

            If we are to follow the example of Christ and the good Samaritan, it’s possible we would look a bit different than we do now. Our love for others would be shown through tangible help when there is a need. Our willingness to help people in every culture would show we don’t believe in societal divisions. Using our own resources to care for those in needs would have us illustrating selfless generosity and helping anyone in need would display an expanded understanding of who we are called to love and serve.

            Just as Jesus showed love in motion by dying for us, we can depict the same love to others in our hurting world. Our response to the good Samaritan story is to be like him because of what Christ did for us in love. When we move toward the hurt, meet immediate needs, give resources freely, bear burdens personally, we will reflect the very heart of God. Loving the ragdolls we find in our lives, neighborhoods and workplaces will bring us into a closer relationship with the Father and display for the world what it looks like to be a Christian. Not the world’s view of a Christian, but Christ’s view, being His light and life here on Earth. And, in doing this, we can bring others to a place of desire for this kind of relationship as well. A relationship with the ultimate Good Samaritan.

A Prayer for Today

Lord God, thank You for modeling how to be a good Samaritan. Help me to mirror your heart for a wounded world by. Heighten my awareness of people who are hurting and keep my heart full of compassion for others. Amen

Today’s Challenge

Intentionally connect with someone different from you this week, who you have notice needs compassion. Note the date in your journal when you began mirroring Jesus with this person. Then, come back and praise God for His goodness in this person’s life and yours.

[1] Ortberg, J. (2001). Love beyond reason: Moving God's love from your head to your heart. Zondervan.