Let it be said at the outset, however, that compassion is not some cheap substitute for genuine biblical counsel. True compassion involves taking the time to learn what God has to say about human difficulties and how He expects us to confront them. It means working long and hard with counselees—some of whom are not always too cooperative. In no way, then, can one expect to please God by engaging in “sloppy agape” (as someone appropriately dubbed emotional substitutes for true compassion). Principles