When we practice empathy, we actually practice loving in a divine way.
In a world enamored with contention and discord, it can be difficult to feel God’s inclusive love for all of His children. Between cancel culture, competing media, and increasingly polarized views, we can find ourselves “othering,” or alienating, people with different backgrounds or opinions. Sometimes it’s hard to find the light or be kind when insults and unkindness are being hurled around the internet.
PHOTO BY ANNA SHVETS
Religion professor Daniel Becerra reminds us that empathy is a Christlike quality that can be developed to counteract the mounting tension in an increasingly complicated world. In his Liahona article “Following the Savior’s Example of Empathy and Love,” you can read about three different ways that Jesus engendered empathy in the scriptures. By following the example of Jesus Christ, we can create a community of love with the people we interact with.
Becerra concludes that, “As we serve with empathy and love, our capacity to create unity and belonging and to bring others to Christ increases . . . because we begin to see others with God’s eyes and feel with His heart. We also come to view our service not as us reaching downward to lift others up to our level but as us reaching outward to embrace a fellow child of God.”
How can you “end the conflicts that are raging in your heart, your home, and your life” as President Russel M. Nelson has asked? You can start by nurturing your empathy and following in the Savior’s footsteps of service and compassion.
Read the whole article by Professor Becerra at this link.
Source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/magazines/liahona?lang=eng
—Sierra Smart Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY ANNI ROENKAE
Find more insights
For more ideas on how to do this, you can read President Nelson’s talk “The Power of Spiritual Momentum,” as well as these two other articles below.
“Building a Beloved Community,” by Andrew Teal.
“Be a Light, Not a Judge,” by Caroline Stickel.