1 Corinthians 10:24 - Try
to do what is good for others, not just what is good for yourselves.
Y’all, does God ever show you something and you’re just like,
“God, why in the world would you make me do this?? You know full well my
attitude ain’t gonna allow me to do that crap!” Well, in my journey this past
year through learning empathy, I’ve hit these moments quite a few times. I talk
to God out loud and I’m sure I sound a bit crazy but, I just have to in order
to keep my sanity throughout the day. Some of these conversations go a little
something like the above question and statement. Then it’s followed up with
something like, “Alright, God, I gotchu, I know, I know, I know. You’re asking
me to do it because I suck at it and really don’t want to.” In these moments, I
definitely feel a bit like Jonah with my whining and totally get his outlook
some days. When you’re done dealing with dang nasty attitudes for the day and
you’re just like, “That’s it, God…burn it to the ground.” The last thing you
want to do in that moment is slow down and have empathy for those people.
However………you know full well what I’m getting ready to say, right? Yep, that’s
when it’s needed most.
Anyways, this journey towards truly understanding empathy
has been a somewhat confusing one. I have found there’s always two sides to a
coin. Duh, right? Ha! It’s not that simple, though. My latest lesson in empathy
has to do with April Fool’s Day. Who knew such a basic holiday could be so littered
with controversy? Our current society is great at making every simple aspect of
life full of drama. Can I just go hide in a cave? Sigh….I need Chik-fil-A and
Krispy Kreme donuts too much for that. Moving on. There have been a few April
Fool’s memes going around listing this SUPER DE DUPER long list of things that
shouldn’t be joked about on April Fool’s Day. Now, a couple of things are a
given and others are just personal preferences. However, my first response was,
“REALLY?! It’s a day about joking, and you’re seriously going to try and kill
any joy brought on by a day all about fun by complaining?!?! Good grief, give
it a rest, people!” Now, before you scold me, keep reading. In general, it’s
impossible to not crack a joke without it offending someone, somewhere, at some
point in time. However, if we are doing anything NEAR what Jesus would do, we
would do our best to avoid topics we know our close friends or family would
find hurtful.
However, here’s the other side of the coin that God showed
me. When practicing empathy, we’re putting ourselves in other people’s shoes
and putting ourselves aside. So, one side of the coin, of course, try to be
careful and not offend friends and family. However, don’t be so uptight and
selfish that you expect people to mourn and feel awful with you about something
you experienced. When someone makes a random joke they’re not specifically
thinking, “Oh man, that’s going to hurt them soooooo bad, I hope they’re crying
about it.” Come on, not even close. REJOICE that they are able to joke about
something and not understand the pain of it. Instead of wishing that bitter,
hurtful, uncomfortable feeling on them, use it as a time to rejoice that they
aren’t being held captive by it.
Not many people know my struggle. However, the few that do,
I would never expect them to not joke about it. In fact, I joke about it
myself. If I see a joke pop up on social media on April Fool’s Day that
involves my struggle, I’m most likely going to crack up. I’m definitely not going to crucify the person who
posted it. Why? Because it’s just a darn JOKE! If we allow our circumstances to
only be a negative burden on ourselves and others, how can we expect God to use
it? I’ve used my struggle this past year to let God teach me empathy in more
ways than I could ever imagine. It has been very uncomfortable more times than
not but, man, I am SO thankful for the growth because it’s expanded my outlook
on people and how Jesus views them.
So, this April Fool’s Day, practice empathy in every aspect.
That means, be sensitive to what others might be going through when you joke BUT,
also be aware that people aren’t going to be joking to spite you…they’re just
having fun. Lighten up, learn to laugh at circumstances instead of being so
bogged down by them that you project your hurt and bitterness onto others. REJOICE
that they never had to feel that pain OR that they’re free enough from it that
they can be light-hearted about it.
Philippians 2:4 - Be
humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for
your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
