Why Empathy Matters to God

The other day my husband opened up to me about the pressures of his week and told me how tired he was. I immediately came back with, “Well, I’m tired too!” And what I was thinking was, “I am WAY more tired than you!” 

Later that day, one of my kids started crying because her sister wouldn’t play the way she wanted her to play. My reaction was, “This is not a big deal, you don’t need to cry about this!”

I went to bed thinking about these two moments thinking:

I NEED MORE EMPATHY! God, help me to care about others. 

Both of those scenarios were missed opportunities for me to care for my family. When my husband shared his struggle with me, it would have been the perfect opportunity to empathize with him and remember the kind of week he’s been having, and even offer a way for him to get some more rest. When my daughter was crying, even though the situation wasn’t actually a big deal, I wish I could have put my arms around her and helped her work out a solution. I wish I would have kept in mind that it was a big deal to her. 

We all need more empathy! In our world with increasing technology and less and less face-to-face interaction, we have to be that much more intentional about developing empathy in ourselves and in our children. 

What an incredible life our kids will have if they develop the ability to truly empathize with others-- not just to feel compassionate toward others, but to experience life with them. 

This is the kind of life Jesus calls us to live-- an adventurous, full life, where we carry one another’s burdens. He never ever meant for us to live life on our own. 

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

-Romans 12:10,15-16 ESV 

Jesus modeled empathy all throughout his time on earth. He was constantly feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, healing the sick, even washing His disciple’s dirty feet. 

He cried when His friend Lazarus died, even though He knew He was about to bring him back to life! He cried because of His deep compassion and empathy for those who were hurting. This story touches me so deeply because our Savior cares. Psalm 34:18 tells us He is close to the broken-hearted. He cries with us when we cry, even already knowing the outcome.

Empathy is so important to God.

Jesus calls us to rejoice with those who rejoice and cry with those who are crying. He wants us to stop and notice those around us and think about what they might be going through and think about how we might help.

Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It’s important to God that we stop and put ourselves in other peoples’ shoes. One way we can become more empathetic is to pray this prayer: 

God, help me to see people the way that you see them and help my heart to break for what breaks yours.

Pray this prayer for yourself and for each child. We’ve included some pocket prayers with empathy prayers and verses for you to print out and use this month. Let’s keep praying for God to work on our hearts and fill us with more empathy.