As I continue to go deeper and deeper into the race and my relationship with Christ, I notice more and more how much of a heart I have for people. This heart of course is not of my own doing, nor my flesh. It is one hundred percent a heart that the Lord has given me. If I love someone, I love them deeply, unconditionally, and unyieldingly. Even with not knowing the people around me for a long time, I know without a shadow of a doubt I love them. Africa has made me realize how much I really do love all people, from all back grounds, all cultures and all countries. I love the people who would absolutely love for me to pack up and leave today, people who don’t agree with me and for lack of a better word hate me. I love. Side note: (Being in a community that is prominently Muslim, and being white, we instantly have a target on our backs because we are Christians. Here, if you are white, you’re subconsciously labeled a Christian.)
From a young age my family taught me to love everyone and always welcome everyone into our heart and home. My parents taught me well. Not only did they teach me to love everyone but my mom especially showed me what it looks like to empathize. So that looks like when others are hurting, crying, or sad, I hurt, cry and am sad with/for them. Crying for people, and feeling their pain in whatever the situation may be.
Empathy done right can be a beautiful thing. Empathy done wrong can be quite tragic especially when you are unaware of it. See, I used to carry around other peoples pain and not give it to the Lord. Completely unaware of the gift God had given me. I would bottle up emotions. I felt ashamed in crying for little things, like crying in movies. Bottling up emotions, not talking about how I was feeling, and not giving all of those burdens to the Lord sent me spiraling into self harm. The built up pain on the inside, lead to not knowing how to deal with it outwardly. (Don’t worry I am ok now and no longer struggle with that #freedom YAY Jesus) I didn’t want the attention on me but at times the focus would shift because of how I would portray my emotions. Friends who I knew were hurting, I didn’t know how to deal with. I could sense their pain but only tried to take it on myself without even talking to them. I would never talk to them about it, I would never voice that I knew they were hurting. I would just sit in silence or let them know what I was going through because I don’t know how to correctly deal with the empathy I didn’t know I had.
Being on the race has made me come to the realization, empathy is a gift from God. I can use it to connect with people on different levels that others couldn’t. Most of the time, I can know if a person is hurting just by looking at them. It’s kind of hard to explain but I can also usually sense if someone in the room is sad, broken, lonely, hurting, etc…
Over the years I have learned to give it all to the Lord as I feel for and empathize with others. Laying everything down at the foot of the cross and interceding for the person who is hurting. No longer taking their burdens but empathizing with them and helping them carry whatever it may be. On the race I have been crying with people a lot. Just the other day, one of our cooks, Hildana, was missing her mom. As she stared to cry, I cried with her. It was so beautiful. The more I cry, the more I realize how special of a gift empathy is from the Lord. The song “Give Me Your Eyes” comes to mind. One of the lines in the song says “Break my heart for what breaks yours”. That has been one of my biggest prayers, that the Lord would break my heart for what breaks his heart. I see my heart being constantly broken for those who are hurting, sick, sad, depressed, anxious, in pain, broken, lost, and so on. It is a blessing.
The world is full of broken and hurting people. There are people all around us, every day, who need prayer, healing, and comfort. I know empathy can be easy for some people, and for others it is really hard. The Lord can give you empathy. Empathizing with people shows them you genuinely care and love them. Empathy is truly a gift from God and it is so beautiful when used to uplift, comfort, and love on others around us. Tears can be tears of healing for yourself but also for other people. Side note: (The picture the Lord gave me of myself as I try to figure out more of what this empathy gift looks like is a Phoenix.)
Even Paul had the gift of Empathy and expressed it within his letters to the church of Corinth.
2 Corinthians 2:4 – “For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of my heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.”
