Recently I have been reading in the Book of Jeremiah and read about how the people had become “dull-hearted.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to have a dull heart means to “lack in sympathy, or understanding: unfeeling and/or having no pity.” This definitely is the opposite of Christ in that throughout His entire ministry He was “moved with compassion.”
Researchers from Berkeley who studied emotions conclude that compassion literally means, “to suffer together; as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.”
From college days I remember one of my professors describing to us his thoughts on the differences between sympathy and empathy. We were taught that sympathy is walking along and seeing someone down in a pit and feeling so bad for that person that we choose to get in the pit with them. Unfortunately, when we do this it puts us in a position just like them and now we both may be in need of help. However, to have empathy is seeing someone in a pit and then finding a way to help them out of it. This is what true compassion would be to be motivated to help relieve the suffering of someone else.
Those at Berkeley disagree with my former professor slightly in that they describe empathy as just the “feeling of being able to identify with the other person and understand their perspective, but that compassion is the motivating factor to help others “out of the pit.” Either way they need to work hand in hand to inspire us to help those in need.
We are all in some kind of need at some point in our lives. When we are at that point is when we can benefit from other’s help. Sometimes we become too independent for our own good and often refuse the help of others when we really do need it. Anyone who has breath in their lungs has been, is, or will be in a situation where no other can truly help but God alone. Psalms 147:3 states, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds us their wounds.”
He is able to do this because of what He did do according to Isaiah 53:5, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Christ not only had empathy for His creation but was moved with compassion, being motivated to do something about it.
If you find yourself being dull-hearted or past feeling for others just remember the pits of life you have been pulled from and then find ways to “throw a rope” to others that are still down in the pit. If you are still in the pit yourself just look and see the ropes of grace and mercy and allow yourself to be lifted up.
~TRS written 9/11/22
Rays of Hope 