It’s easy to show compassion when someone deserves it. But what about when they don’t?

Not long ago, one of my tenants called our office—they were locked out of their unit. Normally, this wouldn’t have been a big deal. We keep lockboxes in place with spare keys for emergencies. But this time, things were different.

The tenant had been given the lockbox code before, but instead of returning it to its spot, they kept the lockbox inside their unit—with the spare key still inside. So not only was their key locked in the apartment, but the lockbox and the spare were locked inside too.

When my property manager told me, they were frustrated. Honestly, so was I. We had systems in place to prevent this exact situation. It wasn’t our fault. And truthfully, it didn’t feel like an emergency. The tenant had brought this on themselves.

In that moment, I started making comments about how we didn’t need to rush. I never said not to help—but my attitude lacked compassion. And as soon as the words left my mouth, I felt convicted.

Who am I to withhold compassion just because someone made a mistake? How many times have I made poor choices and still needed someone’s help?
I turned to my property manager and said, “I was wrong. We need to help as soon as possible.” They agreed.

That moment reminded me of what Christ’s compassion really looks like. It’s easy to help people when they deserve it. True compassion is helping when they don’t.

The Bible says in Lamentations 3:22–23 (CSB):
“Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!”

Jesus doesn’t withhold mercy because of our mistakes. His mercies are new every morning—not because we’ve earned them, but because His love never fails.

In Luke 5:31 (CSB), Jesus says:
“It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick.”

He came for the broken, the lost, and those who “brought it on themselves.” And if He does that for us, how much more should we do it for others?