Empathy Key to Kindness and Compassion - How to Cultivate Empathy

How to Cultivate Empathy

The Scriptures repeatedly encourage us to imitate our heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, so empathy is a quality we need to develop.  How can we do this?  There are three main ways by which we can sharpen our sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others: by listening, by observing, and by imagining.

Listen.  By listening carefully we learn what problems others face.  And the better we listen, the more likely they are to open up their hearts and reveal their feelings.  "I can talk to an elder if I feel confident  that he will listen to me,"  explains Miriam.  "I want to know that he really understands  my problem.  My confidence in him grows when he asks me searching questions that show he has listened  carefully to what I have told him." 

Observe.  Not everyone will openly tell us how they feel or what they are going through.  A keep observer, however, will notice when a fellow Christian seems depressed, when a teenager becomes uncommunicative, or when a zealous minister loses his enthusiasm.  This ability to sense a problem in its early stages is vital for parents.  "Somehow, my mother knows how I feel before i talk to her,"  observes Marie,  "so it is easy for me to talk frankly to her about my problems."

Use your imagination.  The most powerful way to stimulate empathy is to ask yourself:  'If I were in this situation, how would I feel?  How would I respond?  what would I need? Job's three false comforters proved incapable of putting themselves in his position.  Hence, they condemned  him for imaginary sins that they   assumed he must have committed.

Imperfect humans often find it easier to judge mistakes than to understand feelings.  However, if we try hard to imagine the distress of someone afflicted, it will help us to sympathize rather than condemn.  "I give much better counsel when I listen carefully and try to understand the whole situation before beginning  to offer suggestions," commented Juan, and experience elder.

The publications distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses have helped many in this regard.  The Watchtower and Awake! magazines have discussed problems as complex as depression and child abuse.  This timely information helps readers to be more sensitive  to the feelings of those who suffer in such ways.  Likewise, the book Questions Young People Ask -Answers That Work has helped many parents to relate to their children's problems.

Next time: Empathy Key to Kindness and Compassion - Empathy Helps in Christian Activities

The Watchtower, 2002