TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2015.
EMPATHY
The intellectual identification with or experiencing the feelings, thoughts or attitudes of another, identifying with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings or emotions.
Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” Matthew 15:32.
All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.
Romans 8:28-29.
We have learned over the years how difficult it is for parents when one of their children is hurting. Having had 6 children and 20 grandchildren with most of them playing sports, injuries were many. It seems that we learned that parents seem to hurt more than the child. We want the pain to go away and would rather have the pain ourselves than with the child.
Parents have deep empathy for their children when they suffer, whether it is physical pain, sickness or an injury. Sometimes it is emotional and mental pain resulting from the pressures of life or from harmful relationships.
There is a difference between sympathy and empathy. Empathy is a deeper and more complex emotion. Empathy is putting yourself in the place of what another person is feeling or going through. Jesus empathizes with our feelings and all our needs. In Matthew 15:32 (above) Jesus even empathizes with the feeling of hunger pangs which He knew the crowd was experiencing. His empathy compelled Him to feed the crowd of 4,000 by multiplying 7 loaves of bread and a few fish. Jesus empathizes with our every heartache and each and every pain.
If we trust earthly doctors to care for our children, how much more should we be willing to trust God, our great physician to heal our broken body and to reset our broken lives?
One of God’s purposes to allow us to have pain is so He can mold us into the image of Jesus. God wants us to weep with those that weep so that we empathize with others in their time of need just as Jesus did.
Next time that you feel pain or even discouraged or broken hearted be assured Jesus knows what you are feeling and He empathizes with you. Just seek Him and praise Him knowing that He is at work in your life. As it reads in Psalm 147:3, “Seek the lord our God who heals the broken hearted and bandages their wounds.
Our memory verse for this week is found in Mark 16:15.
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”
Give us the strength to go through any pain or heartache we may face today knowing that You are in control. May the pain we face be a learning time for us to become more Christ-like in our daily walk and talk.
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