
I feel your pain! If you have gone through divorce, have children in the hospital, struggled with losing weight, or been hurt by folks in your church. The dark days of my life happened so I would know how to brighten the dark days in someone else’s life. The ability to really understand someone’s pain makes empathy the blessing of painful experiences.
Even if we haven’t had an experience to help us identify with someone’s pain, that doesn’t let us off the hook because the Bible commands us to “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ”, Galatians 6:2.
The obvious metaphor of empathy is walking in someone else’s shoes. So I opted for representing empathy with “heads” and used puzzle pieces attached to wire of this famous piece of art “American Gothic” by Grant Wood.
Any married couple knows each other like the “back of their hand”. For married folks knowing doesn’t always lead into empathy. Empathy is a choice, empathy is the thought that often leads to sacrificial service. It is “getting in their head” to see things their way, not judging, and not withholding because our needs weren’t met last time. I think when Believer’s show empathy it makes our Heavenly Father smile.
His solemn face looks like hunger to me! LOL. I gave her a little silver heart with her thought which looks like she’ll be working in the kitchen soon even though she planned to finish that afghan this morning!
Empathy is #2 in the “Ten Virtues of the Modern Age”. It is finished! I had so much fun interpreting all the virtues!
Creative use of the puzzle pieces to represent empathy. I’ve loved your virtues series!
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What a wonderful post Patty, you really have me thinking, and your work is so creative!
Jenna
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thank you Jenna
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