empathy

When I’m in airports, waiting on the next flight, I enjoy watching people pass by, and I try to guess where they are going…or maybe what they do for a living.  It’s a silly game I play in my head to help pass the time.

The video below is from a few years ago, but is a vivid reminder about life in general, and how those we come in contact with in our everyday lives have the same dreams, goals, and issues that we have.

It’s not all about us.  It’s so easy to get caught up in our own problems that we forget our friends, neighbors, coworkers and strangers we pass by everyday may be going through something that is far more difficult than we could ever imagine.

I thank God every day for the blessings in my life, but I too struggle with thinking of others and having compassion and empathy for them when it’s so easy to focus on my own issues, no matter how small they may be in the big picture.

Please watch this video by the Cleveland Clinic.  It is incredible and the message is clear.  If you knew what problems, concerns, dreams, joy, despair those around you are going through, would you treat them differently.

It’s such a powerful, yet simple message.  I think we all could do a better job of treating others with respect, offer a bit more courtesy to those around us, and smile just a little more. 

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you, (Ephesians, 4:32.)  We never know what the stranger we pass on the street is thinking, but a smile and a pleasant greeting will go a long way, and could be the start of a change in your own heart as well.