Empathy
Recently a student shot and killed three students and injured another at a high school. I have been praying for the victims and their families, but also for the shooter. What must his life have been like that he found the only answer to his problem was to kill others? This is a time we might ask God, "Why did this have to happen?"
Beth Moore in my Tuesday morning Bible study, James-Mercy Triumphs, wrote the following on page 178, "Sometimes God answers prayer by alleviating the suffering. Other times He eases the suffering. Still other times He shows His sufficiency in the suffering, but make no mistake. He never abandons us in our suffering."
Some people suffer outwardly and you know without a doubt what's upsetting them and some suffer silently. Just because we can't understand their suffering or relate to their suffering, doesn't make them suffer any less. This reminds me of the old parent adage, "You want something to cry about, I'll give you something to cry about." Now what about that statement made any sense? Yet at times when you don't "get" what someone else is upset about, have you ever thought, "What is the big deal?"
Empathy, in my mind, is different from sympathy in an intellectual sense. Empathy says, "I get that you are upset." Sympathy says, "I share in your feelings of being upset or have had those same feelings before." Since I can't possibly know the life of the boy who shot his classmates, I cannot sympathize with him, but I can have empathy that he must have been in pain to inflict so much pain. The families that lost teenagers in this incident I can sympathize with them, as my own brother died suddenly at age sixteen.
None of my thoughts or emotions are nearly as important as my need to trust that regardless of the chaos and pain in this world, God is still in charge. Satan is having his season here on earth, but it will not last into eternity. God had great mercy and grace by sending His Son to die on the cross for my sins and the sins of the world. I am not called to sit in judgment of His creations, but I am to trust that He knows the reasons why and will make good come even in bad situations. Lord, please, be with all those involved in this recent shooting, may Your Will be done in Your timing and Your healing way. Amen. KT
Beth Moore in my Tuesday morning Bible study, James-Mercy Triumphs, wrote the following on page 178, "Sometimes God answers prayer by alleviating the suffering. Other times He eases the suffering. Still other times He shows His sufficiency in the suffering, but make no mistake. He never abandons us in our suffering."
Some people suffer outwardly and you know without a doubt what's upsetting them and some suffer silently. Just because we can't understand their suffering or relate to their suffering, doesn't make them suffer any less. This reminds me of the old parent adage, "You want something to cry about, I'll give you something to cry about." Now what about that statement made any sense? Yet at times when you don't "get" what someone else is upset about, have you ever thought, "What is the big deal?"
Empathy, in my mind, is different from sympathy in an intellectual sense. Empathy says, "I get that you are upset." Sympathy says, "I share in your feelings of being upset or have had those same feelings before." Since I can't possibly know the life of the boy who shot his classmates, I cannot sympathize with him, but I can have empathy that he must have been in pain to inflict so much pain. The families that lost teenagers in this incident I can sympathize with them, as my own brother died suddenly at age sixteen.
None of my thoughts or emotions are nearly as important as my need to trust that regardless of the chaos and pain in this world, God is still in charge. Satan is having his season here on earth, but it will not last into eternity. God had great mercy and grace by sending His Son to die on the cross for my sins and the sins of the world. I am not called to sit in judgment of His creations, but I am to trust that He knows the reasons why and will make good come even in bad situations. Lord, please, be with all those involved in this recent shooting, may Your Will be done in Your timing and Your healing way. Amen. KT
Out of the dirt each year this fragrant flower grows.
Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
This was hard to read...and I can only imagine hard to write, but not when you're given such insight. All I could think of was why!? Thank you for posting this from your heart. It's helping a lot.
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