“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Do you remember this quote from high school literature class? If so, then you know these words were spoken by the venerable Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
When I was working full-time, before we had my daughter, I had to give up publishing the church newsletter. My job as a technical writer had me staying nights and weekends when a document was due, and I was in over my head with projects.
I’m embarrassed to say that I suggested the newsletter job would be perfectly suited for a stay-at-home moms. After all, they had a lot of time on their hands.
Don’t laugh…I seriously thought they had time. That is, until my baby was born a few years later!
Jesus was an incredible empathizer. I’m thinking of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:7-29), the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), Jairus (Mark 5:21-43), and others.
We’re to be like Jesus. We’re to love like Jesus. And we can learn a lot about empathy by looking to Jesus.
Jesus is our greatest example for walking around in different shoes.
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“For we have not a High Priest who cannot relate to our infirmities; but [Jesus] was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15.)”
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#empathy #God #Jesuscares