Day 6: EMPATHY and SUFFERING
6.Empathy and suffering. This is a big one for me, personally.
Until you go through hard you can never relate to suffering. It has been or will be for each of us in some capacity in our life story. I have had trials, but it was never ME. Throughout the past year I have learned that I have so much empathy and sympathy for those in hard places. Because now I have experienced a hard place. I ache with sympathy for so many in a scary cancer walk, women trying to fight and trying to be a mom. I have empathy for others who have had that call, or that life changing moment, that sudden loss in life. This came as a gift to me, through hard circumstances, but has softened my heart and given me a whole new sense and ability to feel compassion. This new heartache, it has changed me. Those suffering emotionally, those suffering physically, those suffering because they see others hurting. My heart hurts for others now way more than it ever did before. I want to be there for others, I want to pray for others, I want to give hugs, and write notes. Some friends and I started delivering Hope gifts to my people struggling because we just want to make one person smile, encourage one bright thing in a dark place. I want to give a little love to everyone, because I have been in that place of needing compassion. I have a whole new vantage point and I am thankful for this and at the same time hope it never encompasses me.
This past year I have entered into a place of suffering that I never saw coming, a walk I would have never chosen for my family. I did not learn how to suffer well, or how to completely understand, but I have learned suffering. At 33 years old, oncolgists told me I had a very real, scary, unpredictable, untreatable, cancer. I suffered emotionally, I suffered in the loss of life that I thought was mine. I mourned my plans vs. reality. I suffered physically and will always, I know suffering. As we embark on our journey through life now, I am thankful for being able to understand and hopefully walk alongside others who may be struck with sudden and life changing suffereing. My heart pain for these people is so big friends, and that is a gift from God, that I pray he can use as we go on from here. Jesus suffered immensly, for me and for you. Thats plain it. Whether you fully understand it or not, that was suffering. All those who loved him, ached. But he knew the fruits of his suffering, would change the world forever. What, just go with me for a second, what if, the suffering we enter into could change the world forever, little by little making a change... What if? Then its worth it. That's what I say, it's worth this.
"This happened so the power of God could be seen in him." John 9:3
Until you go through hard you can never relate to suffering. It has been or will be for each of us in some capacity in our life story. I have had trials, but it was never ME. Throughout the past year I have learned that I have so much empathy and sympathy for those in hard places. Because now I have experienced a hard place. I ache with sympathy for so many in a scary cancer walk, women trying to fight and trying to be a mom. I have empathy for others who have had that call, or that life changing moment, that sudden loss in life. This came as a gift to me, through hard circumstances, but has softened my heart and given me a whole new sense and ability to feel compassion. This new heartache, it has changed me. Those suffering emotionally, those suffering physically, those suffering because they see others hurting. My heart hurts for others now way more than it ever did before. I want to be there for others, I want to pray for others, I want to give hugs, and write notes. Some friends and I started delivering Hope gifts to my people struggling because we just want to make one person smile, encourage one bright thing in a dark place. I want to give a little love to everyone, because I have been in that place of needing compassion. I have a whole new vantage point and I am thankful for this and at the same time hope it never encompasses me.
This past year I have entered into a place of suffering that I never saw coming, a walk I would have never chosen for my family. I did not learn how to suffer well, or how to completely understand, but I have learned suffering. At 33 years old, oncolgists told me I had a very real, scary, unpredictable, untreatable, cancer. I suffered emotionally, I suffered in the loss of life that I thought was mine. I mourned my plans vs. reality. I suffered physically and will always, I know suffering. As we embark on our journey through life now, I am thankful for being able to understand and hopefully walk alongside others who may be struck with sudden and life changing suffereing. My heart pain for these people is so big friends, and that is a gift from God, that I pray he can use as we go on from here. Jesus suffered immensly, for me and for you. Thats plain it. Whether you fully understand it or not, that was suffering. All those who loved him, ached. But he knew the fruits of his suffering, would change the world forever. What, just go with me for a second, what if, the suffering we enter into could change the world forever, little by little making a change... What if? Then its worth it. That's what I say, it's worth this.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Again and again in the Bible, God shows that he is going to get his salvation done through weakness, not strength, because Jesus will triumph through defeat, will win by losing, he will come down in order to go up. In the same way, we get God's saving power in our life only through the weakness of repentance and trust. And, so often, the grace of God grows more through our difficulties than our triumphs." Tim Keller, Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering
"When we attempt to spare God's reputation and be at peace with his plans by insisting that he allows but never sends the hard and painful things in our lives, we diminish Gods' sovereignty and ultimately diminish the source and security of our hope." Nancy Guthrie, Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow
"When we attempt to spare God's reputation and be at peace with his plans by insisting that he allows but never sends the hard and painful things in our lives, we diminish Gods' sovereignty and ultimately diminish the source and security of our hope." Nancy Guthrie, Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow
Comments
Post a Comment