This week we are practicing how to Cultivate real empathy.
What is empathy? I thought I knew, but felt compelled to take a peak at what Webster had to say about it. empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. In the contexts where the two words do overlap, sympathy implies sharing (or having the capacity to share) the feelings of another, while empathy tends to be used to mean imagining, or having the capacity to imagine, feelings that one does not actually have.
O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?
I think it boils down to being able to relate to someone and what they are going through, without experiencing it yourself. I sense your pain without having been on the receiving end of the hurtful words that were flung at you. I can cry with you when you lose a spouse or child, because I care about you.
As with many situations, none of my overtures mean anything if there isn't a relationship to back up my actions which gives authenticity to the empathy. Building connections with people, leads to honest relationships, where I can be real and so can you. I have to know you care before I will be able to take comfort in your words and actions. Holding each other at arms length is not how God wants us to live.
It is risky, but necessary for us to invest in the lives of our neighbors, co-workers, and family. This is one step out of a selfish existence and into a selfless, loving and healthy life.
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