Empathy

Empathy

They sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

“I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU,” I said as a lump rose in my throat. Julie and I had been visiting for over an hour when the conversation turned to a part of my past I’d shared with only a few other people. I brushed my hair from my face as the wind blew by and my eyes spanned the water lapping the shore just beyond the porch where we sat. Julie sat in silence and waited. The words tumbled out before I could think too much about them or take them back.

She listened empathetically as I wiped tears from my eyes, not interrupting or rushing past the moment. She waited until I was done speaking and then after a few moments she whispered, “I’m so sorry, friend.” I nodded as we both fell silent. As I explained further, she acknowledged my pain, validated my feelings, and most importantly believed and was witness to my experience. She was the perfect picture of empathy. The next day, she texted me, affirming once again her love and care of me and what I had shared. I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for her friendship.

Sitting with others in their pain can sometimes be uncomfortable because we don’t always know what to say or do. Most often, those who are hurting don’t need our words, they just need our presence and our empathy. Job’s friends came and sat with him for a whole week and said nothing because they saw that his suffering was too great for words. It’s okay if we don’t know what to say to someone, just being willing to bear witness to their pain and suffering is often enough to start.

Lord, thank you for giving us the support of friends as we walk through pain. Help us to be brave to share our own with them and help us to be willing to empathetically sit with others in their own suffering. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Listen to someone as they share a hard part of their story. Don’t worry about what to say, just be empathetic by being present, listening, and acknowledging their suffering.