Empathy is shared pain. It is feeling the grief in someone else’s loss. It is identifying with the sorrow and struggle of another’s hardship.
When my husband’s cancer diagnosis plunged us into a season of uncertainty, we had questions but no answers. We didn’t know which doctors to seek, or which treatments to pursue. We didn’t know the outcome. We prayed, and others prayed with us. We prayed for healing, but we had to surrender our will to God’s purposes. We knew there was no guarantee the cancer would be stopped. Day by day, God provided guidance and peace.
In the midst of all that, we appreciated the support from friends who gathered around us. Their prayers, hugs, visits, notes, phone calls, meals and other acts of kindness let us know we were not alone. They couldn’t fix the situation, and didn’t try. But they wanted us to know they shared our pain.
In the end, the cancer treatments were successful. We look back on the whole experience as another example of God’s extraordinary faithfulness–not just for the healing, but also for His provision through the entire process.
One instance stands out from that time. A friend asked me how things were going. As I recounted some of the current challenges, she listened to my concerns, and as she listened, her eyes moistened and a few tears spilled over. The moment is memorable because it made clear how much she cared.
An intriguing verse in the Bible says, Jesus wept (John 11:35.) He stood at Lazarus’ grave. Jesus knew He would raise Lazarus and free him from his grave clothes. He knew the sadness Mary and Martha felt over their brother’s death would soon end. He knew His raising of Lazarus would affirm Jesus’s claim to be the resurrection and the life. Yet, He wept.
When Jesus walked the earth, fully God and fully man, He revealed the character of God the Father. Jesus reveals the God who cares. He feels emotion over the hurt we feel. He weeps over the pain His people experience, even though He knows how He will set everything right in the end. He weeps over the damage sin has brought into the world.
Jesus also wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41.) He wept because the people missed the peace of knowing Him. Despite all the prophecy throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, the religious leaders didn’t recognize Him as Messiah. Jesus wept over the consequences they would experience because they failed to see Him for who He is.
Jesus’s tears show the depth of His love. He wants people to come to Him. He offers salvation. He offers forgiveness of sins to those who repent. He offers rest and peace. He offers eternal life. He weeps for those who fail to receive what He offers so generously.
Whatever we experience that causes us grief, we can know Jesus shares our pain. He cares. By His example, others can experience His love through us when we share their pain.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 ESV
How have you experienced Jesus’s love through the empathy of others? Please leave a comment below.
Blessings,
Phyllis
Copyright 2024 Phyllis L. Farringer
Image by MissKarin from Pixabay
Thank you for sharing your journey, Phyllis. I’m so grateful for your posts.
Thank you, Joni. I am grateful for my readers.
We are thankful for your insight.
Thank you so much, Debby. To God be the glory.