Empathy... I feel you.

The soundtrack



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Today's word is Empathy. (ěm'pə-thē)
The American Heritage Dictionary defines the noun Empathy as:

1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.
   
2. The attribution of one's own feelings to an object.

One of the key benefits of friendship is empathy. A true friend feels what you feel, and tries to understand what you are going through. But you don't even have to know a person to empathize with them. In fact, empathy gains great strength when it is applied to people we don't know.

To extend our love and concern to those that we know is usually not that hard, the stretch comes in extending those same feelings to those we don't know - even those we don't like....
Scripture calls on us to treat our enemies and friends the same - Jesus said:
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Empathy requires us to "walk a mile" in the other person's shoes. It requires that we 'Do unto others, as we would have them do unto you'. In these modern times what a silly thought....
Yet, it is the way to a full life and one pleasing in God's sight.

Great changes occur when people have great concern. When we have little or no concern about what others are going through, we sit back and allow injustice to reign. I agree with the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whom I'll paraphrase here:
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!"
But it takes more than just a knowing of injustice to make us move, it takes a feeling of injustice - as if it were actually happening to us to really get us moving.

Set your heart today to empathize with those who are 'going through'. Help where you can, pray because we must, love because He loved us.


We'll talk....