Open Our Hearts, Lord

“Empathy is allowing yourself to feel the same emotions that another person feels—like crawling inside that person to experience their pain or joy.”

(Excerpt from Life Bible Touch Points)

Although I have never equated the word “empathy” with joy as in the above quote, I can identify with empathy through pain, rejection, and loss.

I was recently informed that someone whose faith I admire and respect will be sharing devotions in a language other than my own. My first reaction was rejection, then sadness. But then I remembered that when God takes something out of our lives, He sometimes replaces it with a gift He can use for His purpose. The gift He gave me is empathy.

I am so grateful for the freedom to openly worship God. I can open my Bible at any time or talk about the Lord whenever and wherever I choose. But there are people all around the world and some right here in America who don’t have that freedom; who either don’t know the Lord at all, must hide their faith, or don’t have access to the Bible or the many ways we learn about Him. Although I have always been aware of these situations, it wasn’t until I was faced with my own projected loss that I felt true empathy for them.

Many years ago, when I was going through depression, my son told me that “my world was too small”. With his help, I slowly got back into life. When I think about people whose “world is too small” because they don’t have the Lord in their lives, my first reaction is prayer. The second is to find a way to reach them. I want to share God’s Word with them, to let them know they are not alone. They have a Comforter, a Counselor, and a loving God who is always with them. Jesus is my constant companion. I walk with Him every day with the Holy Spirit guiding me. My world would be so empty without Him in it.

Although I won’t be able to read the devotions, choosing not to translate them to show respect for their intended purpose, I will ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit to use the gift of empathy the Lord has given me to share His Word and His love to anyone not as fortunate as I am.


“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4