I was trained to be a counselor. Even though I have not pursued a career in the clinical field, my heart still beats like a counselor’s heart. Seeing people change for the better, getting freed from past bondage is one of the greatest feelings in the world.
There is a quality all counsellors must have to be successful – empathy. The “feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions: the ability to share someone else’s feelings” – per Merriam-Webster. If you don’t have this quality, all the training in the world will not help you be a successful counselor. I’m a firm believer that this is true for Christians too. We must have empathy to win the world for Jesus.
There is no one with greater empathy than Jesus. A sinless man who not only showed us how to live and love, but who went to the Cross for us. His ministry was filled with empathetic moments (Luke 8:43-48, John 4:1-42, and John 8:1-11) where He showed us we need to understand where someone is coming from and love them on their level. Jesus also took all our sins to the Cross and died so that we may live. There is no greater empathetic act than that.
So, as Christians – the Church, the Bride of Christ – we’ve got to act like Jesus. Love and empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, is the only way we can successfully win this world over. We must live and love like Jesus did. We must show the world who Jesus is through the way we live our lives.
This is a daily struggle for me, if I’m honest. Because I know that I am prone to being selfish. I am thankful for a God that understands and, therefore, I try to be more understanding myself. Join me in this journey!
Be blessed, dear friends! Remember who you are – loved and cherished by the Creator of the world!! We may fail, but God loves us just the way we are. Never give up!
“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:15-18 NLT
“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.”
Galatians 6:1-3 NLT
“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:1-8 NLT
Boldly Radiant 