The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. —Proverbs 14:10
If we truly desire to be agents of hope and healing who identify with the sorrow and pain in others, we must practice empathy.
The word empathy comes from two Greek terms: em, which means “in,” and pathos, which means “to feel.”
When you empathize you slow down your life long enough to understand and identify with a hurting person. You are willing to ask yourself questions like, “How would it feel to be in your situation?”, “Why do you feel the way you do?”, or “What do I not understand about your situation that I should?”
Harper Lee, in To Kill a Mockingbird, wrote, “If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
This is the meaning of true empathy. The world would be a lot better place if you were a little bit more empathetic, especially related to your wife.
You might not fully understand her pain, but you should come alongside and identify with her as best you can. You need to walk a mile in her shoes, so you can better understand what is happening within her heart.
How have you recently practiced empathy? How have you failed in the past? Check out our instagram post from this past Saturday to learn some simple ways to serve your wife this week.