Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Lack of empathy BY: KB © 12.23.14

I was sitting here thinking about a myriad of my daily reading and my written reflections on the various subjects. I keep coming back to the words compassion and empathy because they are the cornerstones of this thing we call faith. They are also the essence of what the enemy uses to erode our faith; I say this because compassion and empathy must be tempered by God. Too much of any ingredient will either appeal to our sense of pride or our sense of hurt...we like to call them narcissism or co-dependency.

I am more concerned with the narcissism because we love the good "self-made"  stories. We buy into the material because material things distract us from our character defects. We like to think that the temporal defines us. The "I did this" mindset  will never allow you to focus on the "I was blessed".

Paul addressed the lack of empathy and narcissism of the people of his day  in 2 Timothy 3: 1-7  
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth ....

MY God !!!! Can you imagine what it would be like to never come to the knowledge of the truth?! A state of perpetual blaming, a perpetual state of low self esteem, a perpetual state of surrounding yourself with "yes men" or people you have to take care of because YOU need to feel validated and better than. Worst of all, a state of perpetually reaching for God and never really grasping because the resentments weigh you down or pride has imprisoned you.......

I have been humbled in ways unimaginable to some....much of my humility as well as my humiliation was by choice. I can tell you that the situations were not always easy, as a matter of fact, some of them resulted in some long-term soul searching and pain...but whatever the case may be, I learned from it all.

I learned that I am human. I learned that I am fraught with frailties, fear and insecurities. But, I also learned that God grace is sufficient. I learned that in spite of all my stuff...God cares and God move on my behalf. I have learned that I'm stronger than I think. I have learned that I have compassion. I have learned that I am empathetic...and most important I have learned that I have an enormous capacity to love IN SPITE OF...

John 13: 33- 35   …33 "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."


No comments:

Post a Comment